nPostednon October 13, 2013
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nInfeel like bursting into song: “These are a few of my favoritenthings…” n
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nYounknow:
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nRaindrops on roses andnwhiskers on kittens, n
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nAstronomy, cosmology,nPaul Simon’s anthems…
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nAstronomynis my favorite science!
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Innsome ways it makes no sense to say “my favorite science,” sincenscience is mostly an attitude of looking at empirical evidence tondiscover truths about the world, the cosmos, and all the living andnnon-living things in the universe.
Innsome ways it makes no sense to say “my favorite science,” sincenscience is mostly an attitude of looking at empirical evidence tondiscover truths about the world, the cosmos, and all the living andnnon-living things in the universe. n
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nScience is sort of like a reallyngood toolbox full of devices and techniques that help us sense andnmeasure objects and forces, come up with possible explanations fornwhat we sense, and test competing explanations.
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nHow can we reasonablyndivide one science from another, when chemistry and physics and evennbiology are really all about interactions of atoms and othernparticles?
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Still,nif it DID make sense to choose my favorite science, it would benastronomy. I love the grand scales found in the solar system, galaxy,nand universe; the beauty of nebulae, ringed planets, and spiralngalaxies; the mystery of black holes, dark matter, and dark energy;nthe fundamental importance of the Big Bang and the possiblenmultiverse….It’s all so breathtaking and fascinating. n
Still,nif it DID make sense to choose my favorite science, it would benastronomy. I love the grand scales found in the solar system, galaxy,nand universe; the beauty of nebulae, ringed planets, and spiralngalaxies; the mystery of black holes, dark matter, and dark energy;nthe fundamental importance of the Big Bang and the possiblenmultiverse….It’s all so breathtaking and fascinating. nn
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nItngives me perspective on our little problems on a tiny planet thatnorbits an inconspicuous star in the backwaters of a perfectly averagengalaxy…
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nTwicena year, in the spring and the fall, astronomy clubs celebratenAstronomy Day by taking their telescopes to shopping malls, museums,nuniversities, libraries, nature centers, and other public places andninviting people to take a close-up peek at the nighttime sky. Manynpeople who have never looked through a telescope before get theirnfirst experience at an Astronomy Day event!
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nLearnnmore about Astronomy at Kids Astronomy.
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nPaulnSimon is one of my favorite musicians!
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nWhennI was a teenager, I didn’t have much money, and I only bought musicnfrom two groups. n
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n(Backnthen, we bought LP records if we wanted to hear particular music.nThere weren’t many radio stations, no internet, and no such thing asndigital music, CDs, or even audio tapes! It was a primitive,nprimitive world!) n
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Outnof all the bands in the world, I chose to buy the music of the rocknband the Doors and of the folk duo Simon and Garfunkel. I guess thatnmeans that I liked Paul Simon’s music even more than the Beatles!!!
Outnof all the bands in the world, I chose to buy the music of the rocknband the Doors and of the folk duo Simon and Garfunkel. I guess thatnmeans that I liked Paul Simon’s music even more than the Beatles!!!n
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nSimon,nwho was born on this date in 1941, grew up in Queens, New York. Evennthough his musical career began when he met Art Garfunkel when theynwere both just 11 years old, Simon did manage to graduate fromncollege with a degree in English and even to study law for a bit –nall while he was writing, performing, recording, and releasing songs.
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nMost of the songs he performed solo or with someone other than hisnchildhood partner, Garfunkel, but some of his early songs werenperformed by the duo’s first group, Tom & Jerry. When the twongot their first break with a big music label, Columbia Records, thenmusic execs decided that they would go by the real names instead ofnTom and Jerry. Apparently this was the first time that “ethnic”nnames were used in pop music.
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(Simonnand Garfunkel are both of Jewish heritage.)
(Simonnand Garfunkel are both of Jewish heritage.)n
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nThenrest is history! Simon achieved fame and success both as part ofnSimon and Garfunkel (he wrote most of the songs as well as playednguitar and sang) and also in his later solo career. He had severalnNumber 1 hits, earned 12 Grammys, and was inducted into the Rock andnRoll Hall of Fame. n
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nSimonnhas explained to those who ask how he writes songs that, for him, thenmusic always comes before the words. Then, “[i]t’s like a puzzle to find the right words to express what the music is saying.”n Simon has also explained that his work is done once he has writtennand performed the song; he doesn’t feel that he should be called uponnto explain what a song “means.” That’s the job of the listener.
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nMynfavorite song by this favorite songwriter is ThenSound of Silence.nSince I bought ALL of the duo’s records, I owned both of thesenrecorded versions: the original,nand the version that was a Number 1 hit.nCan you figure out the difference between the two versions? n
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nHerenis someone else singing ThenSound of Silence;nthe song accompanies lovely views of the rotating Earth—seen fromnspace! It’s like my two favorites, astronomy and Paul Simon,ncombined!
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nAlsonon this date:
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National Chess Day
National Chess Day n
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nAnniversarynof the discovery of Whirlpool Galaxy
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nEnglishnLanguage Day
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nPlannAhead:
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Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nOctobern holidays
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nOctobern birthdays
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- Historicaln anniversaries in October
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
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nNovembern holidays
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nNovembern birthdays
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- Historicaln anniversaries in November
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