A DIALOGUE WITH SARAH, AGED 3: IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT IF YOUR DAD IS A CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR, ASKING "WHY" CAN BE DANGEROUS
By Stephen McNeil
-From the archives-
SARAH: Daddy, were you in the shower?
DAD: Yes, I was in the shower.
SARAH: Why?
DAD: I was dirty. The shower gets me clean.
SARAH: Why?
DAD: Why does the shower get me clean?
SARAH: Yes.
DAD: Because the water washes the dirt away when I use soap.
SARAH: Why?
DAD: Why do I use soap?
SARAH: Yes.
DAD: Because the soap grabs the dirt and lets the water wash it off.
SARAH: Why?
DAD: Why does the soap grab the dirt?
SARAH: Yes.
DAD: Because soap is a surfactant.
SARAH: Why?
DAD: Why is soap a surfactant?
SARAH: Yes.
DAD: That is an EXCELLENT question. Soap is a surfactant because it forms water-soluble micelles that trap the otherwise insoluble dirt and oil particles.
SARAH: Why?
DAD: Why does soap form micelles?
SARAH: Yes.
DAD: Soap molecules are long chains with a polar, hydrophilic head and a non-polar, hydrophobic tail. Can you say 'hydrophilic'?
SARAH: Aidrofawwic
DAD: And can you say 'hydrophobic'?
SARAH: Aidrofawwic
DAD: Excellent! The word 'hydrophobic' means that it avoids water.
SARAH: Why?
DAD: Why does it mean that?
SARAH: Yes.
DAD: It's Greek! 'Hydro' means water and 'phobic' means 'fear of'. 'Phobos' is fear. So 'hydrophobic' means 'afraid of water'.
SARAH: Like a monster?
DAD: You mean, like being afraid of a monster?
SARAH: Yes.
DAD: A scary monster, sure. If you were afraid of a monster, a Greek person would say you were gorgophobic.
(pause)
SARAH: (rolls her eyes) I thought we were talking about soap.
DAD: We are talking about soap.
(longish pause)
SARAH: Why?
DAD: Why do the molecules have a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail?
SARAH: Yes.
DAD: Because the C-O bonds in the head are highly polar, and the C-H bonds in the tail are effectively non-polar.
SARAH: Why?
DAD: Because while carbon and hydrogen have almost the same electronegativity, oxygen is far more electronegative, thereby polarizing the C-O bonds.
SARAH: Why?
DAD: Why is oxygen more electronegative than carbon and hydrogen?
SARAH: Yes.
DAD: That's complicated. There are different answers to that question, depending on whether you're talking about the Pauling or Mulliken electronegativity scales. The Pauling scale is based on homo- versus heteronuclear bond strength differences, while the Mulliken scale is based on the atomic properties of electron affinity and ionization energy. But it really all comes down to effective nuclear charge. The valence electrons in an oxygen atom have a lower energy than those of a carbon atom, and electrons shared between them are held more tightly to the oxygen, because electrons in an oxygen atom experience a greater nuclear charge and therefore a stronger attraction to the atomic nucleus! Cool, huh?
(pause)
SARAH: I don't get it.
DAD: That's OK. Neither do most of my students.
Despite inhabiting a very different world to ourselves, dolphins perform brilliantly in our 'intelligence tests'. There is still much to learn about these flexible problem-solvers, but from the evidence so far, it seems that dolphins do indeed deserve their reputation for being highly intelligent.
Judge Orders Lesbian Mom To Go Straight Or Surrender Children
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: July 23, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(Madrid) A Spanish judge has ordered a woman to either enter a relationship with a man or turn her children over to her former husband after the court was told the woman is a lesbian.
Judge Fernando Ferrin Calamita said that having a lesbian mother would harm the children and "raised the risk" that the girls would also become gay the EFE news agency reported Monday.
"It is understood that [a parent's] drug addiction, child abuse, prostitution, belonging to a satanic sect or heterosexual affair would negatively affect the children and serve as a reason for a change of custody. Well, it's the same with homosexuality," EFE quoted him as saying."
Ferrin Calamita, who presides over family court in the eastern region of Murcia said he would allow the unnamed woman to keep the children only if she were in a heterosexual relationship.
The judge assailed Spain's law allowing same-sex couples to wed and to adopt children.
Both daughters were born while she was in an opposite-sex marriage. When she came out and left her husband she took the children with her. Her former husband was fighting for custody.
EFE reports that the woman is expected to appeal the ruling. In the meantime a formal complaint about the ruling has been filed with the Supreme Court judicial ethics branch.
In 2005 Spain became the third country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
The Catholic Church and Spain's conservative opposition party have been pressing for repeal of the law ever since.
©365Gay.com 2007
Harm the children and raise the risk that the girls will become gay?
WTF!
I can think of a lot of things that could cause harm to children, but a parent having a healthy sexual self image isn't one of them.
So she's supposed to lie and pretend to be entirely heterosexual. Sure she's had kids, so she's not entirely opposed to the idea of heterosexual relationships, but seriously teaching these kids to deny their own sexuality and simply conform to someone else's idea of what a "proper" relationship is is probably one of the worst things to teach them.
And as to raising the risk that the children will become gay, Hogwash!
In a study published in "Children of Lesbian and Gay Parents", Charlotte Patterson showed that the children of gay or lesbian parents are no more, or less, likely than the children of heterosexual parents to become gay.
"If heterosexual parenting is insufficient to ensure that children will also be heterosexual, then there is no reason to conclude that children of homosexuals also will be gay."- Bigner and Bozett, 1990
Spain allows a gay couples to adopt children, and yet this judge rules that being homosexual makes her an unfit parent. He is clearly allowing his own bias to get in the way of his interpretation of the law.
"It is understood that [a parent's] drug addiction, child abuse, prostitution, belonging to a satanic sect or heterosexual affair would negatively affect the children and serve as a reason for a change of custody. Well, it's the same with homosexuality."
So much new stuff. this is gonna take some getting used to.
I don't like the search features, it seems all the active topics listed are set comments, the boards seem to have less interesting content.
My friends are mostly gone.
I do like some of the new features though.
SG radio seems promising.
The sets seem to have gotten better.
I like the chat client.
We'll see.
See ya peoples!
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be,
Close to you.
----
I like having lots of friends.
