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Students discover stars without leaving school
The black nylon dome Marylin Avenue Elementary students crawled into Tuesday resembles a tent, all the way down to its zippered opening. It's not for camping, but it certainly helps provide an under-the-stars experience. "I like it when he zoomed in," fifth-grader Elizabeth Gosney said Tuesday after a lesson in the Livermore school district's new "digitarium." The equipment, which works as an inflatable, portable planetarium, was recently paid for with donations to the district for science use in its schools. Alane Loisel, a Livermore teacher on special assignment at the district headquarters, said the equipment is now being used in elementary schools, and will be available to middle and high schools. It was paid for with a $25,000 donation from Sandia/California National Laboratories and a $5,000 donation from General Electric.
Gay couple unite under new Mexican law
Under a giant white tent, a journalist and a banker became one of the first same-sex couples to legally register their union in the Mexican capital Friday at a euphoric, rainbow-flag-waving ceremony that marked a new law allowing domestic partnerships. Officials of the Federal District, the area of Mexico City proper that's home to some 8 million people, defied opposition from the Roman Catholic Church and conservative groups to allow gay couples to formalize their relationships under the law. They now have guarantees regarding inheritances, pensions and other issues. The district followed northern Coahuila state, which authorized civil unions in January. But just a handful of couples in the state bordering Texas have asserted their new rights, deterred, gay rights activists said, by deep-rooted homophobia in the conservative ranching state.
Livermore students have stars in eyes
LIVERMORE The black, nylon dome Marylin Avenue Elementary students crawled into Tuesday resembles a tent, all the way down to its zippered opening. Though not for camping, it certainly helps provide an under-the-stars experience. "I like it when he zoomed in," said fifth-grader Elizabeth Gosney after a lesson in the Livermore school district's new "digitarium." The equipment, which works as an inflatable, portable planetarium, was recently bought with donations given the district for science instruction. Alane Loisel, a Livermore teacher on special assignment at the district headquarters, said the equipment is now being used in elementary schools, and also will be available to middle and high schools. It was paid for with a $25,000 donation from Sandia/California National Laboratories and a $5,000 donation from General Electric.
Gossip Roundup: Used Cars
Heard on the Hill: There are racy pictures of that American Idol contestant from DC on the internets. She's "cavorting" in the WWII Memorial fountain, for some reason… Scooter Libby partied with two young women at Poste Brasserie last Saturday. [Roll Call] Reliable Source: Ted Kennedy apparently got a black Aston Martin for his birthday, but now his wife says it was a rental… Patrick Fitzgerald drove down to DC from Chicago just to prosecute Scooter Libby. How sweet of him! … Mark Foley finally sold his DC house. Made out pretty good, too. [WP] Yeas and Nays: California Governor Ranier Wolfcastle suggests that a "smoking tent" in the Capitol would solve all sorts of partisan woes… Most congressional websites suck… Humorous typo on the White House dinner menu! [Examiner] Under the Dome: Googling Giuliani for president" brings up a McCain ad… Obama's children desperate to know why the hell they have to be in Iowa… Richard Lewis donated money to Joe Biden.
It's not a rocket, it's a pod
Just how wonderfully mad is this? A dome-shaped house that looks exactly like a retro space rocket is preparing for lift-off at the National Homebuilding and Renovating Show in Birmingham today. So if your dreams of colonizing Mars have become a hazy fantasy and you are happy instead to settle for a "low-impact" address on earth, get along to the NEC and take a look inside the Eco-Pod. Its builder, Aidan Quinn, is over the moon to see his space saver on display, but insists his influences are more down to earth. "It's a pod, not a rocket," scoffs Aidan, a Dubliner who has been living in his prototype for the past month in a field by the M60 on the edge of Manchester. "Many ancient cultures built in the round. Mongols and North American Indians both lived in circular tent structures. This is where the concept comes from." With a ground floor built on a raised concrete circular plinth with a single storey above, the four-metre diameter structure is compact inside.
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