Round-Up

I'm not a big fan of little pop flash-in-the-pan starletdom, as personified by Justin Bieber, but there are creepy people who stalk these starlets. This is a story that is really, really creepy:

Justin Bieber: Two men accused in plot to murder pop star

Leave him alone. He's just a kid.

And speaking of kids, here's a really interesting article about Malala Yousufzai

Her nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize has stirred some debate in Pakistan, which is good:

"The government seems to have moved a resolution in Parliament to declare Malala Yousufzai as daughter of the nation. Pakistan’s top dignitaries have also visited the UK, in recent days, to meet the young girl heroine whose name has also been proposed for the Nobel Peace Prize. Given the attention she has received lately from all over the world as appreciation for standing up for her right to education and that of other girls, there is also a possibility that she may even be seriously considered for the award. However, I am tempted to ask the question if it is a good idea in the first place.

I would also like to make it clear that I have endorsed her nomination with an open heart and my objection has got nothing to do with her but how we as a state and government, or even a society, tend to react to winning an award. There is a high probability that once we, as a state, bag the Nobel through Malala, our entire focus will shift on the prize rather than the problem behind it."

Maybe the reputation of Nobel Peace Prize can be redeemed at the same time, but I'm not holding my breath.

Last, but not least:

Plants grow in space despite lack of gravity

There are some advances in science that have great potential to be beneficial to humankind and Mother Gaia, but I fail to see what application this will have down here on earth where gravity sucks. But, you never know. I'm down with science for the sake of science.