Mission to Mars

I think this would be so cool. Dennis Tito's ambitious plan to send a middle-aged married couple Mars would be like the movie!

Transgender Issues

Coy Mathis is a 6-year-old born with a boy's body. She identifies as a girl, and her family raised her as a girl. In kindergarten, she used the girl's bathroom with no problems. But this year, in first grade, the school said that she cannot continue to use the girl's bathroom. The family think this will "stigmatize her, having to be the only one having to go to a different bathroom." They have filed a civil right suit against the district. I think this is a complicated issue. It is even more difficult with the child being so young. I think the district should let her continue to use the girls bathroom since she is so young. When she gets older, and the issues are more pronounced, they should revisit the topic.

Today In Pictures- India

Talk about overcrowding!Travelers on a train in Kolkata, India. The Indian railway network is one of the largest, with about 14 million passengers daily and around 40,000 miles of railway track cut through some of the most densely populated cities.

Today in Pictures- Israel and Palestine

A Palestinian man burns tires during a protest to support Palestinian prisoners, outside an Israeli military prison. The fate of prisoners is sensitive in Palestinian society, where almost every family has had a member imprisoned by Israel. The situation is a sad one. violence reciprocating violence in an endless cycle.

The 30 Most Portland Things That Have Ever Happened in Portland

A fun list of wonderful Portlandian events.

Shabana Basij-Rasikh

"> Shabana Basij-Rasikh runs a school for girls in Afghanistan. She celebrates the power of a family's decision to believe in their daughters.

Gray Stuff On Mars!

The Mars rover Curiosity has become the first robot to drill into a rock to collect a sample on Mars. They have yet to complete chemical analysis but the material from the drill appears to be gray. Scientists explained that when things turn orange, it’s because there’s a rusting process of some kind going on that oxidizes the iron in the rock. This color change and possible discovery of non oxidized rock may mean that we can uncover proof of life on Mars!

On A Cheery Note...

Oscar Pistorius is charged with the murder of his girlfriend. He is a paralympic and Olympic runner. He was born with no legs from the knees down. He is accused of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. A shooting took place inside his house in Pretoria, South Africa,and only the two of them were there. This makes me so sad. He was my favorite person in the Olympics this year. I really admired him and to find out that he may have abused and killed someone breaks my heart.

Huge Asteroid Passes Close to Earth!!

An asteroid about half the size of a football field will pass nearer to Earth than any other known object of its size on Friday, giving scientists an opportunity for close-up observations. The asteroid will pass about 17,200 miles above the planet traveling at 8 miles per second, bringing it nearer than networks of television and weather satellites. The time when it will be closest is 2:24 pm. Fingers crossed for a clear sky!

Pictures

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Marion Cotillard, the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year, is kissed by Harvard University theatrical students Renee Rober, left, and Ben Moss, right. Hasty Pudding Theatricals. I love her. I think she is so talented. Also it's a guy dressed as an Indian woman.

Making Waves

US surfer Garrett McNamara rides a wave off Praia do Norte beach in Nazare, Portugal, he broke the world record for the largest wave surfed when he caught this wave reported to be around 100ft, off the coast of Portugal. I chose this picture because I think it would be amazing to surf a hundred foot wave, plus I really feel like going to the beach.