While the three quizzes a week in my astronomy class are clearly of the devil, I am enjoying the class overall.  This is partly because I am probably that weird girl skulking in your library, trying to absorb all in the information between the covers of every single book, but it's also because astronomy is really fascinating.  And I never took an astronomy class in high school, so this is all new to me. 

For example, did you know that...

- Aside from the obvious nuclear and subatomic particles (proton, neutrons, and electrons) there are also neutrinos (tiny particles with no electrical charge) and positrons (like electrons, but with a positive charge instead of a negative one)?  Both of these particles are produced during thermonuclear fusion- the energy-producing process that keeps the Sun going.  In fact, the Sun produces 10^38 solar neutrinos every second!  Every second, about 100 billion of them pass through every square centimeter of your body. 

- In North America, the Earth is actually closer to the Sun in the winter?  So don't let anyone fool you... seasons aren't determined by proximity to the Sun, but rather by Earth's angle relative to the Sun.  Summer in North America occurs when our hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, and winter occurs when it's tilted away.

- A day on Mercury is twice as long as a year?  You heard right... Mercury revolves around the Sun once every 88 Earth days, but a solar day takes 176 Earth days. 

- There are millions of craters on the moon, ranging in diameters from more than 100 km, to ones that can only be observed through a microscope?  Earth, in comparison, has only about 215 known craters caused by impacts.

I am in the middle of studying for my first big American Government test this semester, so I have zero time to write a brand new blog entry.  Sorry.  Some things are, in fact, more important than blogging.  (Heresy!)

In lieu of new material, here's something I wrote a while ago on Bolivian president Evo Morales.  Enjoy.

To many Bolivians their president, Evo Morales, is a hero, but in the United States he is rarely supported, counted instead among the anti-American leaders in South America.

Morales assumed office as the President of Bolivia in January of 2006.  He works hard to fight poverty in his country, going so far as to cut his own salary by 57 percent and encouraging other leaders in his government to take similar action.  Morales has also staunchly resisted pressure to cut down on the production of cocaine, Bolivia’s principal crop.  He is a leader among coca growers in his country, and gained recognition in the 1990s as coca farmers struggled against United States- based drug eradication programs.  Coca is the raw material for cocaine, but in its natural form is only a mild stimulant with effects similar to those of caffeine.

Morales, a former coca farmer himself, considers his refusal to eradicate the coca industry a matter of principle.  “The fight for coca symbolizes our fight for freedom,” Morales says. “I am a coca grower,” he says, “I cultivate coca leaf, which is a natural product. I do not refine [it into] cocaine.”  Morales’ policies have made him a popular president in his country, partly because his casual behavior is in direct contrast to the behavior of most dignitaries in South America.

But Morales is not popular everywhere. He is an outspoken critic of the United States, he is closely allied with the Venezualan government, and he is rarely willing to compromise.  Many countries, the United States included, saw Morales’ victory in the presidential election in Bolivia in December, 2005 as an unwelcome continuation of the political trend to the left in Latin America.  While the United States government is not supportive of many of Morales’ policies, Morales is even more critical of the Western system of government.  “If we want to defend humanity we must change systems and this means overthrowing US imperialism,” he said in a speech shortly after his victory in the 2005 election.

Morales’ distaste for Western government comes from a resentment of the United States for their invasive policies in Bolivia. The United States has spent billions of dollars and has sacrificed the lives of soldiers attempting to stop citizens of other countries from growing crops like coca. In the United States the only place coca is found is in its highly refined form, as cocaine, but in South America it is routine to chew coca leaves and drink coca tea.  Coca also has a long history as a remedy in the folk medicine of the Andean people, where its mildly stimulating and appetite-suppressing effects have been valued for centuries as treatment for a variety of disorders.  “You have to realize that, for us, the coca leaf is not cocaine and as such growing coca is not narco-trafficking,” Morales says.  “Neither is chewing coca nor making products from it that are separate from narcotics.”

As important as the struggle over coca growing is to Morales, it is not by any means his only policy.  Morales’ party, Movement towards Socialism (Movimiento al Socialismo, or MAS), has positions that not surprisingly are pushing the country toward socialism. Many movements that were instrumental in putting Morales in office demand the nationalization of Bolivia’s resources, especially natural gas, which was privatized in the 1990s and consequently exploited. When resources are nationalized, it is possible for the profits to be spread around to benefit the vast sections of the Bolivian population that live in poverty.

Bolivia is South America's poorest nation: approximately 70 percent of the population lives in poverty.  Morales refuses to allow coca eradication programs to push coca growers into an even worse financial condition.  Whether he will implement more extreme policies of the MAS party is not yet foreseeable, but no matter the path Morales chooses, he faces an obstacle-filled road ahead.  With hostility from Washington, the demands of powerful organizations in Bolivia, and and the urgent need for economic stability to contend with, Morales has his work cut out for him.  Only one thing is sure: the world will be watching what Evo Morales does next.

As a first-semester commuting freshman at my university, I was required to take a 2-credit course called "First Year Experience" this semester. 

Let me tell you, I've learned some very important things through this course.  Let me name a few...

- If you don't have good personal hygiene, people won't want to hang out with you. 
- You will learn more if you pay attention in class.
- Procrastination doesn't help you achieve in college.
- Deadlines are important.
- You can use flashcards to learn vocabulary words.

Those topics are straight from the textbook.  Oh, but it gets worse.

Straight from the book:

"Affirmations for a positive mental attitude" 

(The book instructs the reader to repeat the following phrases slowly while in a comfortable position and breathing deeply)

"I am happy
I enjoy learning
I am an intelligent person
I am becoming a wiser individual
I continue to gain insight
I am a competent and capable student
I understand when I read and listen
I remember what I learn
I am achieving my goals
I feel more confident
I look forward to each day
I am on the road to success
I have time to do the things I want to do
I relax my body, my mind, and my spirit
My brain is filled with knowledge
Life holds great promise!
The victory is mine!"

I can see you now saying "What the *censored*!"  Don't worry, that's what I said too. 

Did I mention they're making me pay money for this crap?