International Space Station crew returns to Earth

I don't usually read USA Today because I feel like its portrayal of the news lacks complexity and useful analysis.  But when I saw the headline in Google News about the fiery return of the International Space Station Crew, I had to click on the link.

The International Space Station (ISS) crew were returning to Earth after a half-year deployment at the orbiting station.  The crew descended through the atmosphere in a Russian space capsule that is designed to gently crash into the desert in Kazakhstan.

But this time, something went wrong.  The space capsule entered Earth's atmosphere at too steep of an angle and it ended up landing well outside of its target zone.  Safety crews reached the crew within an hour, but it was still a very tense time for the mission controllers who were unsure if the crew was injured.

I have been fascinated by space, astronomy, and the universe for as long as I can remember.  These days, my curiosity is usually manifested by subscriptions to some NASA Space Weather e-mail lists and the occasional purchase of a copy of Discover magazine.  Articles like the one I read about the ISS crew remind me of how much I would like to go to space one day.  They also remind me of how much motion sickness I would probably have on the journey through the atmosphere, especially on the way back down to solid ground.

Hablan español at City Hall

This morning, I read a very interesting article in the Los Angeles Times about how members of the L.A. City Council, the elected officials who write city laws and policies, are learning Spanish at increasing rates.  It seems that previously, most of the council members who spoke Spanish represented places like east L.A., where the percentage of Spanish speakers is higher than in other parts of the city.

But now, even other council members are learning Spanish so that they can talk with the 40 percent of people in L.A. who speak the language.  The learning is not always smooth-sailing, however.  There have been some comical mistakes.  For example, one council member who is learning Spanish accidentally said at a press conference, "¡Estoy muy excitada!"  The word excitada sounds like the English word "excited," but in Spanish it means "sexually aroused."  Needless to say, the council member was very embarrassed, but it seems that most people are forgiving her and are just happy that she's trying to speak Spanish in the first place.

This article reminds me of my own experience living in Los Angeles.  Everyday, I interact with people whose first language is Spanish, while my first language is English.  Usually, this language barrier is not such a big deal, but I am almost always left wanting to be able to speak with people in their preferred language.  The wonderful staff who work in the Old School House at school, for example, chatter away in Spanish while I await my photocopies.  I would love to be able to talk with them in Spanish.

I guess I'm going to have to follow the lead of the L.A. City Councilmembers in the newspaper article and take Spanish classes this summer.  That way, I might be able to ask for my double-sided, stapled, collated copies in Spanish instead of in English.