Some Newsworthy items

1) Pluto has been plucked of its status as a planet. I applaud the decision by the International Astronomical Union. For one, there are objects orbiting the Sun that have similar characteristics to Pluto and, in fact, are larger, but not planets. I believe when Pluto was discovered it was the largest of these types of objects, and that is why it got planetary status to begin with. And now it is rightfully in another class, called dwarf planets. I bet the 8 real planets were pretty pumped about the news. It's a little known fact that among the 8 real planets, Pluto was always known as the "eccentric-orbit little bitch." A few notes on the story:
a) NASA's New Horizons mission launched January of this year, and will not reach Pluto until 2015. I bet NASA is pissed. I wouldn't be surprised if they had troubles with the mission, they just abandoned the whole thing entirely. "Eh, it's not even a planet." (That's what they'll say).
b) Diagrams and mobiles in science classes will have to be replaced. But earlier in the decision process, the IAU was considering a definition that would have kept Pluto a planet and added like 2 or 3 other objects. Thank god that didn't happen. That would have really confused the kids.
c) Affecting my personal life the most: Some of those Copper Kid quizzes at the end Silverhawks episodes are now horribly wrong. For those who don't know, Silverhawks is in the top 10 most awesome shows of all time. It's a cartoon that aired a long time ago, and at the end of every episode, the Copper Kid would be quizzed by Bluegrass on many aspects of the solar system.
Here is the CNN article about Pluto getting the boot.

2) The upcoming season of Survivor will be its 13th. That's quite a run, no? But I digress. The real story is this: The teams this season will be divided by race. Yes, they are doing what everyone wants to see, but never thought they would. Whites, Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics, all in direct competition. On a show called "Survivor" nonetheless. I will be just as interested as the next guy to see what happens, but let's be honest here. What good can come of this? I mean think ahead to the first episode when the host Jeff Whatshisname meets the cast and says "OK. Whites over here. Blacks, you go over here. Asians you here, and Hispanics you go over there." Its almost comical, but too-easily brings up disturbing and all too familiar memories of segregation in places that matter. I wonder if they displaced a native population on the islands they are filming on. What if the whites win? Are supremacist going to claim a victory? What are the relations going to be like between teams? There is no doubt that a cast member will make a comment he or she regrets. Same goes for people outside the show commenting on it. What good could come of this? Good TV I guess.

3) Kids in Gary, Indiana, must be going nuts. Every child's dream has come true for the boys and girls of this school system. What would I do if I heard these words as a elementary, middle, or high school student: "School canceled indefinitely due to teacher strike." When we got to go home for half the day freshman year due to a bomb threat, that was awesome. But "school canceled indefinitely." Man, what a concept. Now what the kids have to due is borrow from the book of Bart Simpson and perform Operation: Make-Strike-Go-Longer.

4) How about those Oakland Athletics? Somehow, they are in first place with a 5.5 game cushion. I'll cut and paste the most interesting parts of this article for your viewing pleasure:

The A's are last in the majors in slugging percentage, doubles and batting average with runners in scoring position, are tied for last in batting average and are 21st in runs scored.
"And we're first in [hitting into] double plays,'' Beane said, laughing. "Usually you have to have a lot of baserunners to do that. We are a complete freak show.''
Third baseman Eric Chavez has played injured most of the season; he's hitting only .241. Shortstop Bobby Crosby is hitting .229. It's possible that the A's will win the division without a 100-RBI man, and with only two players with as many as 75 RBI.

Only 2 players with 75 RBIs? Speaks volumes about pitching and defense.