I’m off to Seattle for the American Astronomical Society meeting! I already know there’ll be some big astronomy news released during the meeting, from new maps of the universe to new facts about neighboring stars and galaxies to a peek at an unusual set of quasars. I’m going to try blogging more actively from the meeting than I have in years past, posting more digital images along with the links to stories that I post.
While I was out running around today picking up last-minute travel needs, we happened to drive past an interesting scene on the side of the road. There was a police car, lights flashing, parked up behind a beat-up older car. Two teenage girls (possibly 17 or 18) were leaning against the guardrail, their arms across their chests and looks on their faces that telegraphed their feelings of “OH ****!” as they watched the police officers go through the stuff in their trunk. Was it a speed trap they ran across? Nope. They were obviously distressed at having been caught driving with a beer keg in the back of their car.

Old-fashioned I may be, but I couldn’t help but wonder at sad scene, thinking that these young ladies should have a) been in school, and b) been studying the wonders of the universe instead of getting caught with beer they were too young to have. What a waste.

Yeah, I know that astronomy isn’t the answer to the world’s ills, but I wish that there was some way to keep people engaged in positive things, like astronomy… or art… or anything that would keep them away from stuff that just gets them in trouble before they’re old enough to appreciate the cosmos.