Dance Off

Chicken Police

Chapter 21 of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery

It was then that the fox appeared.
"Good morning," said the fox.
"Good morning," the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.
"I am right here," the voice said, "under the apple tree."
"Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at."
"I am a fox," the fox said.
"Come and play with me," proposed the little prince. "I am so unhappy."
"I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed."
"Ah! Please excuse me," said the little prince.
But, after some thought, he added:
"What does that mean--'tame'?"
"You do not live here," said the fox. "What is it that you are looking for?"
"I am looking for men," said the little prince. "What does that mean--'tame'?"
"Men," said the fox. "They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?"
"No," said the little prince. "I am looking for friends. What does that mean--'tame'?"
"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. It means to establish ties."
"'To establish ties'?"
"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world . . ."
"I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower . . . I think that she has tamed me . . ."
"It is possible," said the fox. "On the Earth one sees all sorts of things."
"Oh, but this is not on the Earth!" said the little prince.
The fox seemed perplexed, and very curious.
"On another planet?"
"Yes."
"Are there hunters on that planet?"
"No."
"Ah, that is interesting! Are there chickens?"
"No."
"Nothing is perfect," sighed the fox.
But he came back to his idea.
"My life is very monotonous," the fox said. "I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the color of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat . . ."
The fox gazed at the little prince, for a long time.
"Please--tame me!" he said.
"I want to, very much," the little prince replied. "But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand."
"One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox. "Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me . . ."
"What must I do, to tame you?" asked the little prince.
"You must be very patient," replied the fox. "First you will sit down at a little distance from me--like that--in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day . . ."
The next day the little prince came back.
"It would have been better to come back at the same hour," said the fox. "If, for example, you come at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you . . . One must observe the proper rites . . ."
"What is a rite?" asked the little prince.
"Those also are actions too often neglected," said the fox. "They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all."
So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near--
"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."
"It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you . . ."
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince.
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"Then it has done you no good at all!"
"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields." And then he added:
"Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret."
The little prince went away, to look again at the roses.
"You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world."
And the roses were very much embarassed.
"You are beautiful, but you are empty," he went on. "One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you--the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or ever sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.
And he went back to meet the fox.
"Goodbye," he said.
"Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
"What is essential is invisible to the eye," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."
"It is the time I have wasted for my rose--" said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.
"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . ."
"I am responsible for my rose," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

Giant Crystals

This article explains how giant crystals formed in the Cueva de los Cristales -- "The conditions were perfect. By maintaining the temperature just below 58 degrees for a very long time you get a few, very big crystals," said Professor Garcia-Ruiz.

We'll see how they compare to the crystals being grown in our classroom...

Dr. Quantum - Double Slit Experiment

Animal Couples

Aww jeez, I'm such a softy but I can't help myself. Check out this adorable photo set of couples in the animal kingdom.

1000 Blank White Cards

This game sounds like fun. Let me know if anyone is interested in playing. I would like to try it out in SEM, Advisory, or amongst my friends (hint hint Lily).

Ketchup In A Bottle Trick

Does anybody know why the ketchup packet sinks when you squeeze the water bottle and floats when you let the bottle go? Jayvon and Jose, this is another version of a Cartesian Diver -- one of which you constructed for your science fair project -- so you two should definitely know and share the answer!

"Where have all the leaders gone?" by Lee Iacocca

I agree wholeheartedly with this rant about the current White House administration. Here's a taste (make sure you click the link above to read the full excerpt):

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the h*** is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the d***** Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!

...

My friends tell me to calm down. They say, "Lee, you're eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people." I'd love to—as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I'm going to speak up because it's my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I'll tell you how I see it, and it's not pretty, but at least it's real. I'm hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don't vote because they don't trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us.

Dropouts

One of my new favorite magazines is Teen Ink, a monthly magazine for teens written by teens. As to be expected, much of the writing is mediocre; however, there are some interesting, relevant, and well-written pieces too. This is an opinion piece written by Nevele Ramos, articulating his (her?) thesis that teachers need to do more to motivate their students to graduate from school.

Why Stay in School
- High school dropouts have a life span nine years shorter than people who graduate.
- Dropouts are more likely to face poverty.
- Typically, high school dropouts earn $19k a year while graduates earn $28k a year.
- If you drop out of high school, your chances of incarceration increase -- nationally, 68% of state prison inmates are dropouts.

Eek! Consider yourselves forewarned.

Young Scientists of Mott Hall 3

This is a letter my colleagues and I sent out a few weeks ago to friends living in New York. If you're interested in helping out, drop me a line.

Dear Friends and Esteemed Colleagues,
You're cordially invited to meet the young scientists of Mott Hall 3. (Just in case you don't know, MH3 is a public middle school in the Bronx.) We thought that you would make the perfect judge for our school-wide science fair on Friday, April 20. The presentations at the fair will be from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. with judging following immediately afterwards. In addition, you are welcome to stay for our awards ceremony beginning promptly at 1:30 p.m.

We would greatly appreciate your involvement in this event, and to show our gratitude we will be providing lunch on that day. As such, it is important to respond via by Monday, April 16 to let us know if you will be attending.

Our students have spent a good deal of time on their work, and they are looking forward to having outside judges validate their effort. In order to make this possible, we are looking to have 15 judges, so please forward this email to anyone else who you think would make a good candidate.

Sincerely,
Hulya Karamemis, Patricia Waters, and Derrick Wu

Gear Up Podcasters

Check out your classmates' newly updated podcasting Web site here. There's plenty of ublach to keep you busy for a while :)

James Jean

James Jean is an illustrator who's worked on projects for a number of big time clients (Atlantic Records, Dark Horse Comics, Nike, TIME). He attended the School of Visual Arts right here in New York and graduated with a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in 2001.

NYC's HIV/AIDS Epidemic

The truth is scary.

Did you know that New York City has the highest AIDS case rate in the country? There are more people in NYC living with AIDS then Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Washington DC combined!

And HIV is an acute problem in our communities: four out of five (80%) new AIDS diagnoses and deaths are among African Americans and Hispanics.

Here are some suggestions to protect yourself:
1) Be informed. Learn what HIV/AIDS is and how it is transmitted.
2) Avoid risky (i.e., stupid) behaviors. Do not have sex until you are ready and it is with a person you trust. And never have unprotected sex, even with a steady partner -- many boyfriends and girlfriends are unknowingly spreading the disease.
3) If you're sexually active, get tested. An early diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death -- for you and your loved ones.

Questions? More info and links can be found at The Dept.of Health and Mental Hygiene's HIV/AIDS homepage. Or talk to Ms. Caroline, myself, or an adult you trust.

Flying Eagle Bowling Shot

My roommate and I play a few games of 'Wii' bowling every week. It's gotten pretty competitive, to the point where it's renewed my interest in 'real' bowling. I mean, you can't do this S-I-C-K trick shot on the Wii (come on Nintendo, get working on it!)

Adios, Tres Amigos!

Three of my best friends are leaving New York this week. I thought, as a going away present, I'd write a little tribute to each of them. Here's the first one.

Marc lived across the hall from me my senior year, but we never hung out much. I spent most of my time in the science library, and he spent most of his time lounging around the various cafes and coffee bars around Swarthmore. Besides, he had his group of friends at Swarthmore -- too cool for school -- and I had mine -- too worried about getting into medical school to be cool. So, by the time he graduated, the only impression I really had of him was his room: it was so messy you literally could not move from one end to the next without lifting pounds of dirty clothing and shoes, old library books, and whatever bagatelle accumulates in a dorm room over the course of a semester.

After college, we found ourselves both living in NY and bereft of close, intellectually stimulating friends. At first, we hung out maybe once a month. We found that we actually shared a lot in common: we both grew up in middle class immigrant families, and we both shared a passion to produce something meaningful in life. Marc's passion is theater, and I learned that theater intersected with my academic passion, philosophy, in many ways. He introduced me to the epic theater of Bertolt Brecht, a library of foreign and indie films, and the various happenings in the world of art & theater in New York City.

During his tenure in NY, Marc was a true bohemian (aka poor and starving) artist. He first roomed with an Equadorian family in West Harlem, and then he shared a one-bedroom studio with three roommates in DUMBO, Brooklyn. He never had any money (he always had less money in his pocket than Janiesha's weekly allowance), so he was always working odd jobs -- like waking up at 5 am twice a week to make baklava and other Middle Eastern pastries at a Greek restaurant. Occasionally, he earned a grant to work on his own show, or he was hired as an extra hand or assistant on a production. But the hours were never stable, the pay was never good, and the work was never truly his own. During these bleak times, he had to endure his own self-doubt: Was he ever going to make it or would he spend all of his time just getting by? I think many other people in his position would have packed their bags, moved back home with ma and pa, and would have just given up. But Marc didn't.

I ended up enjoying my time with Marc a lot because he shares an intensity with the people he is with -- and that intensity is downright virulent. Marc is so intelligent, honest, and stubborn, you're immediately forced to make a choice when you hang out with him: either engage him at the same level (by also being intelligent, honest, and stubborn) or dismiss him as a crazy lunatic. I chose the former rather than the latter. Most of the time, we would go out to eat (that's another passion we shared -- cheap delicious ethnic food) and discuss the topic du jour exhaustively. Conversations with Marc, needless to say, are never boring.

Marc's going on a Christian pilgrimage in Spain for three months. He's bringing with him a sturdy pair of hiking boots and three books: The Canterbury Tales, The Qu'ran, and the Bible. Next Fall, he'll be attending a Ph. D. program in Theater Studies at the University of California Berkeley.

Ilkka Halso's The Museum of Nature

I stumbled across the work of Ilkka Halso on BLDGBLOG today. Her latest exhibition, "The Museum of Nature," displays stunning views of nature, but confines them within man-made structures. (Is "man-made" a sexist term? Is the proper term "human-made"?) As Geoff Manaugh, the author of the post on BLDGBLOG, eloquently states

The basic premise of Halso's digitally manipulated work is that "nature" has been transformed into a museum display – yet the public's interaction with this new, endangered artifact is limited...

True. I had the great fortune of growing up in Monmouth County, NJ. We had a handful of parks where I lived, and every week, I would go out hiking by myself in the woods.

I'd get lost for a few hours, imagining I belonged to the Lenape Tribe. I would follow the dirt trails: fording small streams, walking gingerly across fallen logs, and hanging off of nearby cliffs while swinging on the knobbed roots of trees.

Yet, now I live in New York City, and there's hardly a time when I can interact with nature and feel at one with it.

The city parks and gardens don't count: (1) they feel too man-made and (2) there is too many people. The times I do go out hiking -- when I get out of the city, or travel to far-away destinations like Hawaii or Trinidad -- I feel like a visitor, an outsider rather than active resident of nature.

So, I guess my interactions with nature have become like Halso's museum experience... maybe I'm just not cut out to be a city dweller.

If you have time, you should visit Halso's website too; she has some interesting work and it's all about the intersection of science and art.

Making a Ginormous Burger

These guys have what I lack...some real ambition! Watch 'em construct this 30 lb. hamburger from scratch.

"The Weirdest Book in the World"

Luigi Serafini has put together what must be coined "The Weirdest Book in the World."It's called Codex Seraphinianus (Latin, I believe, though I'm not sure if it means anything). The book appears to be about an unknown alien world, complete with pictures and text. However, it's written entirely in alien script -- with no translation to be found! On one page, there's a "Rosetta Stone" that translates the alien writing. Too bad it's translated into another alien language that's also indecipherable! The pictures are beautiful, purely original, and downright bizarre. Check it out if you dare!

Thanks Danielle for the tip!

Things to Ponder...

A sample of questions taken from The Kids' Book of Questions by Gregory Stock:
- If you could take a genetic test to discover what things you'd be best at, would you want to take it or just find out for yourself over time?
- If you knew you wouldn't get caught, would you cheat on a test by copying someone else's answers? What would you think if you saw other people cheating?
- What is your biggest fear? How would your life be different if suddenly you weren't afraid of this anymore?
- What is something you love doing now but will probably not enjoy in two years?
- On Halloween, a group of high-school students are caught scaring little kids and stealing their candy. If you could decide the punishment, what would it be?
- What makes you feel guilty? Do people try to make you feel guilty very often?
- If someone a lot smaller than you kept teasing you and telling lies about you and wouldn't stop, how far would you be willing to go to make the person stop? What about someone bigger than you?
- If you told your friends everything about yourself, including the things you are most embarrassed of, do you think they'd like you more or less than they do now?
- Have you ever thought you were going to die -- for example, in a big thunderstorm or a car accident? If so, did the experience teach you anything you could tell your friends?
- Do you wish your parents would question you less or more about what you do and how you feel?

And for those adults who might be reading, there's a book of questions for you too.

Thanks Amber for the tip!

The Science of Laughter

We laugh because we find something funny, right? Not according to the research of Robert Provine. People watching a funny movie alone rarely chuckle. Put the same people in a social setting, however, and they will guffaw at anything, funny or not. Provine recorded that 80-90% of the time, people laugh at lines in conversations that aren't funny.

So why do people laugh? According to Professor Jaak Panksepp (he's from Northern Europe btw, hence the strange sounding name), laughter is a way animals signal to others that they're ready to engage in friendly interaction. It's a reliable signal too, because it's often done unconsciously and difficult to fake.

So...we laugh because we want to get along and make friends. Makes sense. I mean, do you feel comfortable around people that don't laugh at all? Or even people that laugh too much?

Don't buy it? Try it yourself. Take an observation journal, snoop around (I mean, uh, conduct research), and see what makes people laugh.

Read the NYT article here.

I <3 Spring Break

Before we left for break, Naysha asked what my plans are for Spring Vacation. Well, here they are:
1) Learn how to cook Chinese food. I want my dad to teach me how to make his delicious dumplings. They're the reason why I'm so round (and happy)!
2) Play with my friend's baby. A good friend from back home had a baby daughter this year, and I want to go to Delaware to visit.
I dare you to tell me she's not the most adorable baby ever! Double dog dare you.
3) Ride my bike. Maybe I'll take it down to Delaware with me. I love riding my bike on nature trails, the beach, and the streets of New York.
4) Write a paper. I'm still working on my Masters degree in education, so I have homework just like you guys. Luckily, I get to choose the book I'm writing about.
5) Improve my apartment. After Kayla criticized the neatness of the dorm rooms on our college tour, I'm scared that my room is messier than those of my students. I didn't win Swarthmore's messiest room contest, but things can pretty ugly in here.

Sorry Naysha, no clubbing or partying. I will hang out with friends, though, and I suppose I might go dancing (Hahaha scary thought I know.). I wouldn't recommend partying/clubbing at all. Seems like party go-ers all end up in rehab or worse, like Britney Spears & Lindsay Lohan. That's my justification, anyhow, for being an uber-dork :)