The first time I went to Korea was in 2001, and while I was here the world as we knew it changed irrevocably. Today I learned that yet another world as we knew it is gone forever. (Forgive me if this is old news to you, but keep in mind, I have no English language news channel here, and my online newsreading is never as current as it ought to be.) So what is it I'm talking about? Pluto. Or the former planet formerly known as Pluto.
There was some sort of test that one had to take in Columbia County before one was allowed to attend kindergarten. I have no idea what this test was called or what its purpose was. I do remember being completely convinced that I would be asked to name all nine planets, and that I might forget one of them. I remember chanting the names of the nine planets over and over. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. But no more. Pluto has been stripped of its planetary classification, re-classified as a dwarf-planet, and given the designation 134340 Pluto. (Now there's a good bit of WD40ian numerology for ya!) It's somewhat unnerving to think that for my entire life there have been nine planets in the Solar System, but now we're down to eight.
Related articles:
Dwarf Planet Xena Officially Named Eris (I prefer the name Xena myself...)
4 comments:
For those as distraught as Jane:
http://yque.com/plplnefoblt.html
I had no idea that you were such a big nerd even before school started! :)
Melissa
heh heh -
thanks caitlin, I'm totally going to have to get myself one :-)
melissa - I swear there must be a nerd gene or something; there was no hope for me!
Nah, Eris goddess of Discord is MUCH more cool. Haven't you ever read the Illuminatus Trilogy? It was the spoof of the "DaVinci Code" before there ever WAS a "DaVinci Code! Ultimate conspiracy yarn
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