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Heroes

3 questions to ask yourself before answering NASA's job announcement for new astronauts.

Odds are, at some point in your life, you probably considered a career as an astronaut.

Between the kick-ass suits, exploring the unknown, and that whole zero gravity thing, it looks like a pretty great gig.

Also Space Camp seems like buckets of fun.


"Orange you glad to be an astronaut?" Photo by NASA on The Commons/Flickr.

Sadly, many of us traded in this dream for something a little more realistic.

For those of you who never gave up hope, however, I have some great news:

For the first time in decades, NASA is hiring new astronauts for future deep space missions.

It's the first time humans will venture past "low-Earth orbit" (anything higher than about 100 miles above Earth) since 1972, so they're looking for a few new recruits with diverse professional backgrounds and areas of expertise.

Astronaut Mae Jemison serving up STEM professional realness. Photo by NASA on The Commons/Flickr.

“This next group of American space explorers will inspire the Mars generation to reach for new heights, and help us realize the goal of putting boot prints on the Red Planet,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said.

Intergalactic pioneers and an annual salary of $66,026 to $144,566 per year?

SIGN. ME. UP.

So, do you have the right stuff to be an astronaut?

Flight Engineer Tim Kopra of NASA, right, is seen with fellow crewmates, talking with friends and family before launch aboard the Soyuz spacecraft n Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo by NASA HQ Photo/Flickr.

According to the application, available now on USAJobs, the federal employment website, here's what NASA is looking for for their next class of space professionals:

1. Do you have book smarts?

Applicants need a bachelor's degree from an accredited university in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics. This, however, does not include degrees in nursing, psych, technology, or even aviation technology.

Your theater tech degree is awesome, but it probably won't give you the know-how you need to be an astronaut. I know. It stinks. Photo by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr.

2. Do you have skillz? (Or In lieu of skillz-with-a-z, an advanced degree?)

You'll also have to have at least three years of professional experience under your belt in your degree field or an advanced degree.

Don't have those because you were busy being a pilot? 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time works too.


Photo by NASA on The Commons/Flickr.

3. Do you have a body that just won't quit (on you in space)?

Last step: You'll also need to pass a physical and have 20/20 vision, though you're allowed to wear glasses.

Applicants will also be expected to pass a drug test and a swim test, but probably not at the same time, despite a golden opportunity for comedy.

Carolyn Griner, Ann Whitaker, and Dr. Mary Johnston, simulating weightlessness while undergoing training in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator at the Marshall Space Flight Center in 1975. Photo by NASA on The Commons/Flickr.

Getting selected for the program is difficult, but it's nothing compared to astronaut training and the job itself.

Training for the three to six month missions aboard the international space station requires two to three years of training, often overseas with NASA's global partners.

Fair warning, some surprising things happen to the human body in space due to the lack of gravity. Your spine may elongate, your bones lose calcium and become brittle, your heart gets smaller, and even your eyesight can change. They don't mention that stuff on the application.

But they also don't mention that your new view could very well be this:



So if you're ready to chase adventure and eat your weight in dehydrated ice cream, get your application in before the Feb. 18 deadline.

But word to the wise: frequent travel may be required.

Space Shuttle Atlantis takes flight in 1988. Photo by NASA on The Commons/Flickr.

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

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Dad gives a how-to on "gentle parenting with malicious intent."

By now, everyone has heard of gentle parenting. Even if you're not quite sure what it is, you've heard the phrase. Parents that use this style of parenting set boundaries with their children but with thorough explanations and a focus on healthy emotional development. One dad decided to spin the gentle parenting trend by implementing "gentle parenting with malicious intent" for his older children.

You may be wondering how one gentle parents with malicious intent. No worries, the dad uploaded a now-viral clip to TikTok, where it has over 4 million views, to explain. In the clip, "Ginger Jack" has the camera on himself as he talks to his kids about completing their chores without attitudes…and that's where the twist comes in.

"New rule. Whenever one of you starts giving me attitude, I'm going to start hitting on mom," the dad says before speaking to his partner. "Hey there. sugar. How you doing, baby girl? How do you feel about another child? I could rub your ankles real good." He then makes what can only be described as an attempt at a sexy cat noise.

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Drew Barrymore speaks during the FLOWER Beauty launch at Westfield Parramatta on April 13, 2019, in Sydney, Australia.

Drew Barrymore, 48, has been in the public consciousness since she starred as Gertie in 1982’s mega-blockbuster, “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” a performance that earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. So, it makes sense that many people of a certain age feel as if they’ve grown up with her.

Now, she’s an even more significant part of people’s lives as the host of “The Drew Barrymore Show,” which runs every weekday on CBS.

On May 25, the show’s Instagram page posted a touching video of an off-the-cuff moment between Barrymore and a fan during a taping of her show. In the clip, Barrymore realizes that someone in the audience is crying. So, instead of ignoring the fan, she jumps to action to see what is the matter.

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Family

Pediatrician shares two simple tips that could save a child's life at a pool party

"The more folks present, the safer the pool is, right? Wrong."

Photo by Ash Dowie on Unsplash

If there's a body of water anywhere, a designated adult needs to have their eyes on it.

It's that time of year when the weather across the country is warm enough for families to enjoy outdoor barbecues, picnics and pool parties. That means it's also the time of year when tragedy will strike a certain percentage of families who get blindsided by how quickly and easily a child can drown in a backyard pool, even when they're surrounded by people who care about them and their safety.

We've all been at a gathering where adults are coming and going, chatting, setting up food, taking trips to the bathroom, all while kids are busy playing in the water. In such scenarios, it's easy to assume that someone else is keeping an eye on the pool.

But as pediatrician Diane Arnaout has shared, the harrowing reality is that the more people there are at a pool party the more likely it is that a child could slip into the pool or become distressed in the water without anyone noticing.

In a Facebook post that has been shared more than 77,000 times, Dr. Arnaout wrote:

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Pop Culture

Musician uses traditional Chinese instrument to create hypnotic cover of 'Hotel California'

There are literally hundreds of covers of this song floating around on the internet, but this one has its own unique flair.

Moyun/Youtube

Moyun peforms "Hotel California" on the guzheng.

The Eagles' hit song, “Hotel California,” has been covered countless times over the years by a variety of artists, including the likes of Nancy Sinatra, the Gypsy Kings and that guy at your local karaoke spot.

And while every rendition gives the song a fresh dynamic, one musician with a penchant for mystery has transformed the rock n’ roll staple into something entirely new.

Using a traditional Chinese string instrument called a guzheng, Moyun plays the song focusing mostly on its two guitar solo arrangements, creating a sound that has all the otherworldly beauty of an ancient folk tale.
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Pop Culture

Man rewatches shows from his childhood and his recaps of the bonkers storylines are priceless

Rob Anderson's hilarious recaps of shows like "Mighty Ducks," "Beethoven," and "7th Heaven" might make you wonder how they got made in the first place.

@hearthrobert/TikTok

These plots makes zero sense.

While there are no doubt some timeless classics from our childhood that remain every bit as amazing as we remember, many are straight-up cringey upon a later viewing. Really, it’s to be expected as societal viewpoints change…sort of a marker of how far we’ve collectively come.

And so, what do we do with these problematic pieces of old-school pop culture? Well, we can certainly update them to better reflect a more modern attitude, but that also comes with a set of potential problems. Or we could simply never watch them again. Certainly an option given all the content out there. But then we might miss an opportunity to better understand what seemed to work for the mainstream then, and why it doesn’t work now.

And then there’s the third option—allow ourselves to be entertained by their cringiness.

That’s certainly the route taken by Rob Anderson. Over on TikTok, Anderson has taken ultra-popular movies and television shows from his childhood and given them hilarious recaps capturing how absurd some of the storylines are.
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