"The best and the whitest" ~ Love, NASA

For the past nine months to a year, I've been avidly following space-related news and happenings around the world... a shared interest between myself and my husband. As a pair of Gen-Xers with two children who will end up being the ones inheriting the catastrophic results of climate-change our government continues to deny, how can we not be interested in the efforts to understand and learn how to navigate and possibly exist in space?

So from NASA to SpaceX to 3-D printed housing for Mars, I've "oohed" over the gorgeous photos of the Milky Way and our solar system, and snarked about Bezos' ultimate power trip. I love watching live broadcasts of spacewalks at ISS, and the educational efforts of NASA TV encouraging us all to "do science".

Late last month (July 2019), three astronauts -- from Russia, the United States and Italy -- were lifted into space and flown to the International Space Station to begin their stint on the ISS. They lifted off from at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. I spun through these photos of the formal send-off and launch of the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft, and was struck -- really horrifically taken-aback, honestly -- by the sheer number of white men dominating the ceremonial or real positions of authority.

Image source: Spaceflightnow.com

Image source: Spaceflightnow.com

Where are the women? Where are the people of color? 
Wow, NASA. I mean, really.

I understand the send-off took place in Kazakhstan, right next door to Russia, and presumably Russians might dominate as attendees. Maybe this wasn't the right lift-off to scrutinize, and I'll definitely be paying attention to the photos of the next lift-off from the United States. But as NASA was sending astronaut Andrew Morgan up to the ISS, I have to assume they were duly represented. And I couldn't find a single person who even appears to be in a position of power in that whole string of photos that wasn't a white male.

NASA talks a good game about diversity here on their career page. I guess it's just positions of leadership that are so closely guarded by white men.

If you look at NASA's "No FEAR Act" filing for the overall agency, it becomes clear that, except for "reprisal" (33 filings for 2 18), filings related to "race" and "sex" are the highest reported categories (each at 27 filings for 2018). The next closest category of complaints filed were around "age" (18 for 2018).  And the year-over-year comparison shows the issue is only getting worse, which I'm inferring to mean the more women and people of color they bring in, the more painful the issues become with the "old guard". It looks like if you dare report an issue about race or sex, you can definitely expect a reprisal. Sweet.

It's looking like the agency that is supposed to rocket us into the 22nd century is still sitting back in the 20th century.

I will keep monitoring this issue, and will post updates if I learn my impressions were incorrect.

Ireland feels strangely like home (a book)

Late last year, I went to Ireland for the first time. I was lucky enough to spend eight days there, touring a handful of counties with family. (My sister and I are married to brothers -- long story -- so it was me and my sister, and our husbands, who are also brothers.) Starting in Dublin for a couple days, we took a driving tour and spent a couple days in counties Roscommon, Galway and Kerry (Killarney) before heading back to Dublin to fly home.

Dublin

Our first night in Dublin we took a really early morning walkabout,
suffering from jet lag as we were. We passed by this creepy old church
on our way up the hill to Killiney Hill Park, which boasted of
the best sunrise views.

Killiney Hill Park did not disappoint, with beautiful views
overlooking parts of Dublin

On the other side of the jut were some seriously moody clouds

Then, we hopped in the car and took off for Roscommon County,
and I saw surprisingly little of the countryside...
Ireland really likes to wall off its highways and roads, as shown here,
presumably so the citizens don't have to see ugly cars
tearing through their beautiful pastoral views. :) 

 Roscommon 

We arrived at the Kilronan Castle.
I'll admit it, I totally geeked out and took all the touristy-type
pictures. I even realized I'm a tiny bit of a foodie underneath
it all. I just had to have access to afternoon tea every day.

Please?

Here's a few photos taken during a walk around the grounds
of Kilronan Castle, when I wasn't inside ordering
afternoon tea and chortling over it like a
crazy person.

This was an old entrance into the castle from
the Ha Ha (there are what looked like
horse stalls to the right). I assume this is where
the carriages pulled up and dropped off guests.

Secret passageway?!

Everywhere in Ireland you find roads and walkways
bordered by these walls. Most are extremely old, as
illustrated by this tree's roots burrowing into it.

Afternoon tea at Kilronan Castle.

While the scones were always my favorite part
of afternoon tea, the artistry of all the different
components always induced me to eat.way.too.much.
Every time.

Downstairs bar in Kilronan Castle (a few others
trickled in over the night, but we mostly had it
to ourselves)

This was my first chance to visit Ireland, though my sister and I grew up on stories of our mixed Ireland and Scotland ancestry. Nonetheless, my sister and I were both really taken aback at how comfortable we felt in Ireland, how much we felt like we "fit right in". Of course, the Irish are very welcoming and friendly, without a doubt, so even my mixed husband felt comfortable (which is often not the case in America, from which we hail). But mannerisms, vocal tones and volumes, driving style... such things I wouldn't have expected to be passed along through DNA, half a world away. According to our husbands, though, my sister and I don't fall far from the Irish tree... which was the source of a lot of teasing as we hurtled nilly-willow through the country on those narrow, walled-in roads.

Galway 

In Galway, we stayed at the comparatively modern
G hotel. The cupcakes looked a lot yummier
than they were, but that's probably what I get for
trying to eat every sugary thing I stumbled across.

It was Halloween, and the afternoon tea I ordered
at the G hotel reflected how seriously the Irish
take this important holiday. 

It broke my heart walking away from
this spooky display half-eaten, even with four people.
But doing anything else would have had
serious consequences. (Like, the plane wouldn't
have been able to take off...)

Exploring "old town" in Galway... This tiny corner
pub was my absolute favorite. I took a picture
so I would always remember.

It was a little cramped :) 

Cliffs of Moher

We spent one of our days in Galway driving over to and exploring the Cliffs of Moher. My sister and husband are not fans of heights, so it was fun to be able to turn the teasing elsewhere for one day. Below are a few photos from the trip to the Cliffs.

It was like driving in another century

According to Google, this was Dunguaire Castle that we
happened to drive past. We pulled over for a quick exploration,
but it was closed up. (Probably due to obnoxious tourists.)

When there was a hill to climb, you can expect some
seriously intense switchbacks. 

We pulled over to enjoy the view halfway up this hill, and my
husband played his new Irish whistle for the cows. 

And finally, once we were at the actual Cliffs I was too busy to take many photos...

The Cliffs were magnificent.

My husband and sister couldn't stay far enough from
the edge as we climbed up to the clifftop.
Eventually, we came across this sign and they
just couldn't contain themselves any longer.

Once the wall between us and the edge of the cliff ended and I wanted to keep going, I had a ugly rebellion on my hands. Being dragged away from "certain death", I was gifted with the chance to drive us back to Galway, like candy dangled in front of a baby to distract them. "Driving while in Ireland" should be classified in some subcategory of thrill-seeking sports. Any one of the following things could be intimidating to a driver, but throw them all together and I'm surprised I could pry my aching hands off the steering wheel when I finally pulled into the hotel parking lot that night:

Cows grazing on the narrow strips
between the switchback road heading
up the hill... Think about their cute,
bovine eyes and don't take your eyes
off that road!

1. Crazy high speed limits on a strange route
2. Driving on the wrong side of the road with road signs you don't recognize (American, remember?)
3. Narrow roads enforced by ancient walls on both sides of the road, with ancient trees growing out of them and encroaching into the road
4. Switchbacks (with cows)

It was a thrill I'll always remember. And even better, we had comprehensive insurance coverage on our rental car. Regardless, any missing paint from said encroaching tree branches are totally not my fault. Ancient trees should know better, they've seen humanity at its worst.

Kerry 

We only had one night in Kerry, but we toured the beautiful town of Killarney before we had to hop in the car for a long drive back toward Dublin.

We walked to this glade not far from our hotel (before afternoon tea)

Walking through certain parts of Killarney was a transportive experience.

And of course, even though it makes me feel
bloated, I had to have at least one delicious Guinness. 

Tipperary (unofficial stop)

On the long drive back toward Dublin, we stopped for some coffee and expected adventure at Tipperary. 

As we walked the streets of Tipperary in search
caffeine, we stumbled across Cahir Castle.

Cahir Castle has an interesting history

Maybe 15 minutes later, as we finally located our caffeine fix,
the sky abruptly clouded over

Thirty seconds later, double rainbow wow aside,
it was looking rather ominous... 

As we started walking back toward our car, the sky with the funny double rainbow suddenly opened up and began pouring down the fattest raindrops I've ever experienced. As someone who's lived in Los Angeles and Seattle, I thought I knew rain like no-ones business. Turns out Seattle rain is a joke. We were instantly drenched all the way through, freezing, so we gripped our coffees tight and ran. We drove the rest of the way to the Dublin airport steaming slightly as we slowly dried out under the care of our rental car's heating vents, on blast. Brrrrrrr!

Ireland wins. In so many ways.

swallow the sun (korean drama)

Swallow the Sun (2009)
Director:  Yoo Chul Yong (All In)
Starring:  Ji Seong (All In), Sung Yu Ri (The Snow Queen), Lee Wan and Yoo Oh Sung

Synopsis, found here:

An illegitimate child of a hooligan and a fisherwoman.
Jung Woo was left at an orphanage as soon as he was born. He has nothing, has no one to lean on, no hope or future in his life – he lives as a lowlife gangster. Then, the first opportunity to change his life is given to him. He saves the life of the fabulously wealthy, well-known, and powerful President Jang. For this opportunity, he is willing to throw away his soul. And he goes to Seoul in search of President Jang’s son Tae Hyuk.

In order to pass Tae Hyuk’s “test,” he must do anything – steal, cheat, fight, and do absolutely everything to move one woman’s heart towards Tae Hyuk. Surprisingly, this woman is Soo Hyun, Jung Woo’s first love.

Ever since they were young, JungWoo has loved Soo Hyun ; she is the one woman who is in his heart although she doesn’t return it. She can’t even remember him from their childhood, and he watches her becoming close with Tae Hyuk. Jung Woo later learns that his father was a cruel, vicious man, becoming devastated and realizes he can’t approach Soo Hyun with his love.

Jung Woo ends up taking the blame for Tae Hyuk’s crime, and he goes to prison. Soon, Soo Hyun becomes slowly attracted to Jung Woo, making Tae Hyuk even more obsessive over her. Now, Jung Woo must find his soul again and search for the love he lost long ago.

This was one of the first Korean dramas I shared with John.  I think it's one of the best Korean shows I've watched, to this day.  It's a sweeping, multi-layered drama with great characterization, filmed on-site at Jeju Island, Africa, Las Vegas... and did I mention it features a lot about Cirque Du Soleil? Can't hate that.

My only quibble is this:  Soo Hyun, played by Sung Yu Ri, was an amazingly one-dimensional character, which I found extremely disturbing because I know Sung Yu Ri is a talented actress.  She played a great character in The Snow Queen.  So having that background, coupled with having seen All In by the same director, I can only conclude that the director doesn't care to have his female leads take any of the attention away from his male leads.  He likes them quiet and in the background, where he no doubt believes they belong.  Which is me completely making shit up based on little evidence, so I conveniently dismiss this disturbing thought based on nothing but my love of Swallow the Sun.

I am lucky enough to have found a friend at work who also loves Korean dramas---this must be Seattle!---and I suggested this drama for a "K-drama night" she hosted at her house recently. To be brutally honest, the feedback from the group was "damn that boy is hot, but let's stick to romantic comedies! Like Coffee Prince."  Meh, I am a rebel soul -- gimme my sad and heartfelt dramas that make me cry like a split onion! 

Not that I didn't cry a little on Coffee Prince, mind you.

why why love (taiwanese drama)

Why why love (2007)
Directors:  Lin He Long (who also directed Devil Beside You and At Dolphin Bay--he appears to be an incurable romantic)
Starring: Rainie Yang, Mike He and Kingone Wang

Synopsis, found here:

Tong Jia Di needs a life besides work, paying down family debt, and more work. So her best friend Jiang Xiao Nan sneaks in a "Love" coupon in Jia Di's raffle box praying that the lucky guy who draws it will sweep Jia Di off her feet. As it so happens, Huo Yan, the compassionate manager Jia Di has secret crush on, is the lucky guy. But, tho' the prince can exchange the coupon for Cinderella's love, it doesn't mean he will, especially when his devilish younger brother is determined to exchange his "Master/Angel" coupon for her servitude.

I hesitated to show John this series, because (despite how serious the clip below looks) it begins with acute silliness. Something I've learned to just expect from Taiwanese shows:  they start with extreme cutesy-ness, and spiral into something else... sometimes tragedy. So I wasn't sure if we'd make it past the 'cuteness' to the part where you can actually engage on an emotional level. But apparently I worried for nothing; not only did John not have a problem being entertained by all of Rainie's (Tong Jia Di) dorky faces and over-acting, but he readily admitted to tearing up the first time she and Mike He (devilish younger brother) hugged.  Which was far premature, as far as I was concerned.

Anyway, we can't make it through a single episode without my 15-year-old daughter, Mae, melting and raving about Mike He's extreme hotness and sexiness.  This was amusing the first three episodes, while we quizzed her on whether she'd chose a date with Mike over her long-time love, Johnny Depp. This caused brain-leakage until Johnny Depp won by a mere scrap of sentimentality. But by episode 13, the "squeeee!"s are getting old.

But I'll still probably show John Devil Beside You before moving back to Korean dramas. :)

death and the powers -- the singularity. in opera form. with robots.

Death and the Powers, a blend of opera and robotics that was going to turn the entire stage into a robotic musical instrument, using new performance tech from the MIT Media Lab. Next week, the robotic opera premieres live, playing Sept. 24-26 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. US dates will follow in 2011; follow on Twitter for more details. Gearlog might have put it best: they call it “The Singularity. In Opera Form. With Robots.”

On TED blog <3

the world that they live in (korean drama)

The world that they live in (aka: Worlds Within) (2008)
Directors: Pyo Min Soo, Kim Kyu Tae
Starring: Hyun Bin (Snow Queen and My Name is Kim Sam-Soon) and Song Hye Kyo (Full House and All In)

Synopsis, found here:

Joo Joon-Young (Song Hye-Gyo) and Jung Ji-Oh (Hyun Bin) are insatiable PD's at KBS and want nothing but perfection in their work. Unfortunately, this perfection doesn't stretch very far especially as they watch each other's love lives fall apart. While the two once dated each other it's clear that their current focus is on their work... until they grow closer after their break ups. Will they give their love another chance?

Unlike other dramas that focus on a devious plot, the characters in this drama will take center stage as they try to balance their life, work, and possibly love for one another.

As an American watching this series, the synopsis made me truly wonder if I would find anything of interest in it. It was also a bit of a sell to John.  However, it is pretty fast-paced (qualification: for a K-drama) and something of a shocking glimpse into how different television broadcasting is handled in South Korea.  It puts one on the edge of your seat, for sure!  Production is good, the characters are plentiful and diverse, and the acting (for the most part) is satisfactory.

The only complaint I would have is the romance between the two main characters... was it too realistic? Is it that the male character was too immature? I wanted to smack him several times.  While wanting to smack the male (or female) lead is almost a prerequisite for K-dramas, it is usually confined to the beginning of the series, rather than the end.  It's a process, a growth... maturity in the making.  But this was probably the first one I've seen where I felt like he was more of a jerk at the end than the beginning. ^__^;;

Regardless, it was good enough to watch more than once.

a love to kill (korean drama)

A love to kill (2005)  

Director:  Kim Kyu Tae (same director who worked on The World That They Live In, reviewed here)
Starring: Shin Min Ah (My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, and freaking adorable) and Bi

I've loved this series for a couple years now, but I'm finally getting a chance to show John. We started the first episode last night. It ends with a scream of "Hyung!" and John's comment is "Wow, that's fucked up." Whether that's good, or bad remains to be seen. ^__^;;  My advice for any Korean, Japanese or Taiwanese show:  wait until the end of the third episode before truly making up your mind. Otherwise, you'll never know what you're missing if you judge one of their shows by the first episode.

Plot synopsis, found here:

Bokgu is the orphaned son of an abusive mobster who idolizes the older brother who raised him. Believing that famous actress Cha Eunsuk abandoned his brother and caused the attempted suicide that left his brother hospitalized in a coma, Bokgu plots his revenge, landing a job as Eunsuk's bodyguard in order to try to seduce her, destroy her reputation and her career.

Bokgu is bound by both guilt and affection to Han Dajung a childhood friend who pulled him from a fire and saved his life, but was burned and left with permanent scars. He stays with her in a life he despises, as strong-arm man for her loan shark business.

As Bokgu exacts his revenge on Eunsuk, he is torn between his growing feelings for her and his sense of obligation to Dajung, between his duty to avenge his brother and the increasing uncertainty that his revenge is justified. His external actions contrast with his inner turmoil and, finally, he is filled with self-loathing at his revenge's successful result.

vice guide to north korea

I was transfixed for about an hour this morning, viewing these three documentaries by The Vice Guide. I've been watching the South Korean Hallyu wave and informally studying their culture and history for several years now, and the teasing glimpses of North Korea--coupled with the news reports on their insane leader's nuclear antics--are so rarely truly informative. These documentaries provided a glimpse into what the North Korean citizen's lives may look like, as carefully shielded and incomplete as it is.

Ep 1


Ep 2


Ep 3