NPR: A Challenge: Madame Vichyssoise Eats Mad Crepes . . .

A Challenge: Madame Vichyssoise Eats Mad Crepes . . .

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Remember when a bunch of astronomy guys got together and decided Pluto wasn't a planet but a dwarf planet? Then Pluto people were like, "Fine, but Pluto's awesome, so if Pluto's a dwarf planet, let's count dwarf planets as planets." The astronomy guys were like "whatever, OK, but if you count Pluto, you got to count Ceres, which we recently upgraded from asteroid to dwarf planet, and Eris, which is way out there past Pluto. Which still isn't a planet, btw."

We ended up with 11 planets, which means the old nine planet mnemonic "My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas" no longer flies. Now that it's Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Eris, we need a new one. National Geographic held a contest, and a very smart 10-year-old, Maryn Smith, won with "My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants."

So are you smarter than a 4th grader? What can you do with M-V-E-M-C-J-S-U-N-P-E?

Ian Chillag

8:05 AM ET | 02-29-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Most
Vegetarians
Eat
Many
Carrots
Just
Subsisting
Upon
Nutritious
Piquant
Edibles

Sent by Tricia, NPR | 9:46 AM ET | 02-29-2008

Moon
Vampires
Eat
Moon
Critters
Jane,
So
U
Needn't
Palpitate
Ever

My
Vanilla
Eclair and
My
Coffee
Just
Sat
Uneaten.
Nefarious
Plethora of
E-mail!

Sent by Mark | 10:43 AM ET | 02-29-2008

Here's a couple:

Maybe very elegant musicians could join supremely unkempt nudists, providing entertainment.

My vision: Every man can just seek utter nothingness. Peace ensues.

Sent by Sarah G | 10:46 AM ET | 02-29-2008

My
Very
Enormous
Mother
Can't
Jump
So
Uncle
Nathan
Plays
Elephant polo

It's a sport - check wikipedia.

Sent by Jeff | 10:55 AM ET | 02-29-2008

memorization
vexes
earthlings
most
could
juggle
sequence
until
nine
planets
expanded

Sent by Dave Wiley | 12:29 PM ET | 02-29-2008

Wow, Dave Wiley, that's really impressively on the nose!

Sent by Tricia, NPR | 12:48 PM ET | 02-29-2008

My
Very
Energetic
Mongoose
Can
Jump
Some
Unbelievably
Nasty
Pigpens
Expertly

Sent by Amanda | 12:54 PM ET | 02-29-2008

My valentine expects mostly candy, jewels, sweets unless no pearls exist.

Sent by Alison Stewart-NPR | 1:02 PM ET | 02-29-2008

Summer Ash, where you at?

Sent by Ian Chillag, NPR | 1:13 PM ET | 02-29-2008

making-very-earnest-mantras-can-joyously-satisfy-upset-neurotic-people-everyday

Sent by jayn | 8:38 AM ET | 03-01-2008

May Venezuela Eventually Manage Chavez Just So the US Never Pulverizes Exterritorially

Sent by jess | 3:28 PM ET | 03-01-2008

Most
Visiting
Earthlings
May
Create
Journals
Showing
Umpteen
Notorious
Planetary
Eateries

Sent by Nick Gully | 5:44 PM ET | 03-01-2008

My
Very
Erudite
Monkey
Constantly
Jumps
Slyly
Under
Nana's
Purple
Eaves

Sent by Ernesto Haibi | 10:34 AM ET | 03-02-2008

Summer Ash has the flu and will of course chime in upon regaining her cognitive functions. (Thanks for asking, Ian!)

Sent by Summer | 12:42 PM ET | 03-03-2008

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