Cooperative Pandas Break Out of Zoo!

Enjoy the video? Imagine and create a fictional and humorous dialogue between the two pandas. Post your dialogue in the comments section -- those who submit their sketch before July 9 will receive a PRIZE!

Free Tennis Lessons at Crotona Park

Tired of sitting at home all day with nothing to do? The New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL) offers free tennis lessons for kids throughout the city. This is info I gleaned from the organization's website:

This program offers free tennis lessons to children ages 6-18 in the community. Trained coaches provide a comprehensive schedule of instruction, practice and play for all levels. Players develop their skills, make new friends, and learn the rules and sportsmanship of the game of tennis.

Free Summer Programs run July 2 to August 24 unless otherwise specified. Registration is ongoing -- you can sign up at anytime throughout the season.

Crotona Park
East 173 Street
off Crotona Avenue
Mon-Fri 9am -12 noon

Not going to be around Crotona? Here's a list of other locations in the Bronx (and the other, lesser boros).

I hope someone takes advantage of this opportunity to learn how to play tennis. Not because I'm a nice guy, but because I want a tennis partner in the city. Ms. Bernstein offered to play tennis with me a few times, but she always seems to flake out. Plus, if you start learning now, there's a chance you might become good enough to give tennis lessons yourself and charge crazy amounts of money (I, of course, would take a cut of your profits for introducing you to tennis).

What American Accent Do You Have?

Take the quiz and find out!

Strangely enough, I have a Midland accent (from Kansas City to Pittsburgh). Here's the description:

("Midland" is not necessarily the same thing as "Midwest") The default, lowest-common-denominator American accent that newscasters try to imitate. Since it's a neutral accent, just because you have a Midland accent doesn't mean you're from the Midland.

Water Balloon + Flame Experiment

What happens when you put a balloon above a lit candle? It pops, right?

Well, what happens if you fill that same balloon with water and put it above the lit candle? The balloon pops and water spills all over the place? Nope!

Water boils at 100 degrees celsius -- a temperature too low to pop the balloon. As long as there is liquid water in the balloon, the balloon's temperature will not rise above the temperature of boiling water; therefore, the balloon will not pop.

Gotta see it to believe it? Check it out here!

There are more Robert Krampf videos here. Let me know if there are any interesting demos you'd like to see in class!

Carabao Dreams

how how the carabao said to me in a dream
refute the conspiring evils
prove the strength that wills your breath
hold tightly to poetry and loved ones
as a book would bind its pages
share your story through art and song
fix your eyes on the stars so your voice
can be heard
"taas noo, iho, taas noo!"

you are more than
what they say
what they think
what they see

pinoy is more than
brown and alibata
barongs and tinikling
pansit and Goldilocks
you will understand

queer is more than
cocks and A.I.D.S.
white men and the Castro
June and pride marches
you will understand

life is more than
angst and depression
money and aspiration
wanting and loneliness
you will understand

how how the carabao said to me
tell the people your story
don't think an amendment frees your
speech
if they cover their ears and refuse to listen
yell if you have to
you do not have a choice
this is not a request
you need to be heard

how how the carabao said to me
rush out into the world in perfect
surrender
give in to the sun as she licks your face
and thighs
offer no words when the winds
whip at your backside
respect the moon
yield up limber arms in reverence to
the stars
for darkness is also a gift
and silence can be a friend
go out into the world and do these things and you will understand

how how the carabao said to me
sadness is not the absence of happiness
but your incapacity to witness its presence
your soul is not just a bird taking up
wings
your soul is the sea
your spirit is the shore
your mind is the black expanse
that births planets and consumes galaxies
you are not only part of the revolution
but you are the revolution
when you stop building comfortable walls
and notice that your feet are planted
on the same ground on which millions
have stood
you will understand
you will understand
you will understand

you are more than pansit
A.I.D.S.
and depression

how how the carabao said to me in a dream
this is just a dream
these are just my words
breathe life into them
assign them feet
make them real

how how the carabao said to me

how

how

Timothy Arevalo, age 18
from You Hear Me?


carabao - water buffalo
"taas noo, iho, taas noo!" - "Look up, son, look up!"
pinoy - a Filipino person
alibata - ancience Tagalog script
barong - traditional Filipino shirt
tinikling - traditional Filipino dance
pansit - rice noodles

Instructions for Life

Catch the football and make sure you score a touchdown;
jump into the mud and make certain it is enjoyable; rip
your jeans and tear your shirts; bleed on the field of glory
and take it like a man; grind the grass stains into your
clothes; order a hot dog at a baseball game; watch the
Super Bowl and tell everyone about the play in the second
half to prove you watched it; root for the home team; get
hurt but don't cry; hide your emotions; pick yourself up
when you are down; watch violent movies and crave blood
and destruction. This is how to act tough on the outside;
this is how you act in front of the guys. Slick your hair
back with your father's gel just the right way to catch the
eye of the girl next to you; don't burp; act like a gentle-
man; wear clothes that make you look cool; walk a walk
that shows the girls how suave you are; act mature; protect
your sister if she needs help. This is how you act in front of
the girls. Do well in school; get straight A's because you
have to get into a good college. This is how to succeed; this
is how to be prosperous; this is how to be happy and live
life to the fullest.

Brando, age 15
from You Hear Me?

Time Somebody Told Me

Time Somebody Told Me
That I am lovely, good and real
That I am beautiful inside
If they only knew
How that would make me feel.

Time Somebody Told Me
That my mind is quick, sharp
and full of wit
That I should keep on trying
and never quit.

Time Somebody Told Me
How they loved and needed me
How my smile is filled with hope
and my spirit sets them free
How my eyes shine, full of light
How good they feel when they hug me tight.

Time Somebody Told Me

So, I had a talk with myself
Just me, nobody else
'cause it was time
Somebody Told Me.

Quantedius Hall, "son of Reality," age 12
From You Hear Me?

The Girl I Like

I saw this girl on my way
home. She is everything
I want in a girl. A girl who
makes me smile when she smiles,
a girl who speaks what she feels.
She makes my heart skip like
a street beat, happy.

Ronnie Ross, age 16.
From You Hear Me?

I Want

To know
If there's a ghetto
In heaven.

Troy Williams, age 16
from You Hear Me?

Harriman State Park

For the last two weekends in a row, I've headed to Harriman State Park.

The first week, I went there with my brother Jeff, my friend Danielle, and my dog Cheaper. After a few hours of hiking uphill without a trail, we looked like a motley crew: our clothing was drenched in sweat, our sneakers were soaked from treading through nasty mud, our legs were cut and bleeding from hiking through brush, and our mouths were parched because we had forgotten to bring water. However, we did find a few wild blueberries to munch on. The hard work was worth it though, because we made it to the top of a beautiful vista overlooking nothing but rolling hills covered in lush green trees. I yelled at the top of my lungs and heard my voice echo in the valleys below. It was one of the best feelings in the world!

After we got back to our parked car, we decided to jump in a lake to cool down. As soon as we approached the water, a pair of geese swam over, started flapping their wings aggressively, and honking obnoxiously loud at us. Just the other day, I learned that male and female geese are monogamous partners for life. I assume that this pair was trying to protect its terrority (and perhaps its young ones). Still, that didn't stop my brother and me from jumping in to the lake. As soon as my brother hit the water, the geese lunged. My dog Cheaper instinctively dove into the lake to protect my brother, even though she is terrified of water. Needless to say, the geese were intimidated by the mighty trio (my brother, myself, and my dog) and kept a safe distance away.

I've heard a few people say that the views in Nyack are worth checking out, so I'm probably going to ride my bike there next week.

Thanks for the pics Danielle.

The Bronx Library Center

I went to the Bronx Library Center (310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off of Fordham Rd.) with a group of 6th graders today -- what a fantastic library! Lots of great books, in a beautiful space, with a friendly and helpful staff. If I were a middle school student in the Bx, I'd probably spend every day of my summer there (well, I'd probably split my time at a library and an outdoor destination, like Pelham Bay Park).

The kind staff erased my overdue fines, so I can check out books from the NYPL again. Two of the books I took out are poetry compilations: Paint Me Like I Am and You Hear Me? Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys. I've really started getting into poetry a few months ago; really, ever since I visited Ms. Rymer's poetry class. I find that it really helps me understand myself and others, and it doesn't take a lot of time to get into, like a novel. I like my poetry candid and raw -- I'll post a few of my favorite poems later.

The third book I checked out is called Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini. I was drawn to the book by its title and cool cover -- I'll post a review of it after I finish reading it.

What the World Eats

Here's a photo essay featured at time.com

Life: A Journey Through Time by Frans Lanting

Using contemporary photographs taken from different points around the world, photographer Frans Lanting has created a visual timeline of the evolution of life on Earth. The sequence of breathtaking photos trace the history of life, from its fiery beginnings through its evolution in sea, land, and air. I was captivated by many of the photographs, and the accompanying music by Philip Glass only intensifies the experience. If you have 10+ minutes of free time, check out Life: A Journey Through Time.

Riddle

You have three light bulbs inside a windowless room and three switches connected to the light bulbs outside of the room. You need to find out which switches are connected to which lightbulbs; however, you can only enter the room once (and, let's say, only for a brief amount of time).

You need to think outside the box on this one -- no clever contraptions necessary, just make use of the natural properties of light bulbs. Happy thinking!

Battle at Kruger

Lions, crocodiles and water buffalo duke it out in the sickest animal battle I've ever seen!

Tiny Critters on Fingers

Soooo tiny.

Pink Dolphins!

You've heard of pink flamingos, but pink dolphins? According to Neatorama, these dolphins are pink for the same reason flamingos are -- their colorful diet. These animals both feed on a large quantity of crustaceans like shrimp, which happen to be high in alpha- and beta-carotenes. Carotenes are pigments that give foods like shrimp (and veggies like carrots) their bright orange and yellow hues. I assume that when the dolphins and flamingos "process" the shrimp, the color changes from orange to pink.

Hmmm...I noticed that the yuppies in my room have lost their orange sheen since I lost my fish food. They've been living off of te aquatic plants in the aquarium, and have looked progressively less orange (and more gray).

I wonder if I eat a whole lot of carrots I just might be able turn my skin orange for Halloween??