C8 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.MONDAY, OCTOBER 25 , 2021
ACROSS
1 Duo
5 “Who’s there?”
reply
10 Acquire
13 Cartoon maker
of a c actus
costume
14 Student’s
assignment
16 Artist Yoko
17 Starring role
18 Roma is its
capital
19 Once around
the track
20 Flexible desk
accessory
23 Yalie
25 VCR format
26 Support for a
painting
27 “Divine
Comedy”
author
29 Acceleration
control
32 Filmmaker’s
monochrome
background
35 Medieval
Icelandic
collection
36 Save like mad
37 Govt. workplace
monitor
41 Indecisive
sort
43 Sport with
meshed sticks
47 Teatime treat
48 Last choice,
perhaps
49 Communication
syst. with hand
signals
51 Govt. code-
breaking org.
52 Mental refresh-
er ... and a hint
to the circled
letters
57 Barbie’s beau
58 List of mistakes
59 Like granola
62 SASE, e.g.
63 One who loses
on purpose?
64 Fairy tale bully
65 X or manta
follower
66 Salon filing aid
67 They open
locks and
start carsDOWN
1 Bud
2 King beater
3 Pictured in
one’s mind
4 Second chance
5 __ whiskey
6 Heads of France
7 Bridge
8 Spy for the
other guy
9 Guitarist
Clapton
10 Bring up
the rear
11 Tooth covering
12 Knock over
15 Hire
21 Something to
bake in
22 Zero deg.
at the equator,
say
23 Barely beat
24 Pie crust
ingredient
28 Earl Grey,
for one
29 Barely
discernible
amount
30 “You are __”:
mall map info31 Bordeaux and
Chianti
33 Hall & Oates’
“__ Gone”
34 Opposite of pros
37 Like meds
needing no Rx
38 Era for Fred,
Wilma and
Pebbles
39 Egg la yers
40 Bailiwick41 Copied with
intent to deceive,
as a signature
42 Emerald __:
Ireland
43 Student’s hall-
way hangout
44 Goddess of
wisdom
45 Dicey
46 “The Last Jedi”
villain Kylo49 Daisylike flower
50 Like many
Stephen King
stories
53 Cleveland’s lake
54 Utah city
on I-15
55 Inevitable
outcome
56 Cozy corner
60 Attempt
61 “Absolutely!”LA TIMES CROSSWORD By Catherine CettaSATURDAY’S LA T IMES SOLUTION© 2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC. 10/25/21kidspost
BY LELA NARGIY
ou probably have a fa-
vorite piece of music,
one that makes you feel
calm after a stressful
day. Or one that cheers
you when you’re feeling blue. But
what if there was a way to have
music suggested to you based on
many of the other feelings you are
experiencing during the day?
That was the thinking behind
Spark Care+, a music therapy
treatment that is designed to be
personalized for each user. It is the
invention of Sarah Park, a 1 4-year-
old middle-schooler from Jackson-
ville, Florida. Last week it won her
the title of America’s Top Young
Scientist and $25,000 from the
2021 3M Young Scientist Chal-
lenge.
Samarth Mahapatra from Mari-
etta, Georgia, took second place
for a computer algorithm that
helps visually impaired people
cook. Snigtha Mohanraj from An-
sonia, Connecticut, came in third
for a device that removes mi-
croplastics and oil from contami-
nated water.
For Sarah’s invention to work, it
asks users a lot of questions about
how they’re feeling. It links the
answers to what are called the
Hamilton anxiety and depression
rating scales. It also has a sensor
that reads users’ heart rate and
blood pressure. Then Spark Care+
picks music that it determines will
make the user feel better. Sarah
hopes to put her invention in a
wristband that users can wear, and
to find a music database to partner
with, to provide the tunes.
“I want to have multicultural
music, different sounds, different
genres, different styles,” she says.Teen’s music therapy soothes the soul
S arah Park wins 3M Young Scientist Challenge for device that provides healing music for depressed people
TODAY
Skies go from sunny to cloudy
as rain moves in. Highs should
reach well into the 70s.
ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE RICHARD, 10, ARLINGTONBIRTHDAYS OF THE WEEKMONDAY, OCTOBER 25
The Nationals’ Juan Soto (1998).
Singer Katy Perry (1984).
Polar explorer Richard Byrd (1888).
Artist Pablo Picasso (1881).
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26
Gainesville’s McKenna Bedell (2010).
Rockville’s Levi Goslee (2009).
Former Secreta ry of State Hillary Clinton (1947).
Senator Edward Brooke (1919).
Singer Mahalia Jackson (1911).WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER^27
Washington’s Alexander Lester-McMinn
(2010).
Poet Sylvia Plath (1932).
Anti-apartheid activist Oliver Tambo (1917).
President Theodore Roosevelt (1858).
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28
Washington’s Ella Nushi (2012).
Washington’s Jack O’Rourke (2009).
The Spirit’s Jordan DiBiasi (1996).
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (1955).
Scientist Jonas Salk (1914).
Abolitionist John Laurens (1754).
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29
Bethesda’s Jordan Sussman (2012).
The Nationals’ Raudy Read (1993).
Painter Bob Ross (1942).
Activist Josephine Bruce (1853).
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30
Washington’s Riley Chisley (2011).
Playwright Zoe Akins (1886).
Pianist Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge (1864).
President John Adams (1735).
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31
Poolesville’s Nolan Chen (2013).
Silver Spring’s Ryan Alexis (2012).
Author Katherine Paterson (1932).
Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low (1860).Goslee
Lester-McMinn
Nushi
O’Rourke
Sussman
Chisley
Birthday announcements are for ages 6 to 13 and are printed on a
first-come, first-served basis. They do not appear online. A
parent or legal guardian must give permission. We need photos
at least three weeks ahead of publication. We need names (if
photos are not desired) at least a week before publication. Fill out
the online form at wapo.st/kidspostbirthdays. We are temporarily
unable to accept mailed submissions. Questions? Contact
[email protected].C hen
Alexis
It’s not surprising that Sarah’s
invention is related to music. She
has been playing the violin since
she was 4 y ears old. She is also a
concertmaster for the Jacksonville
Symphony Youth Orchestras. A
classical piece called “Carmen Fan-
tasy” by Pablo de Sarasate is her
favorite one to listen to.
“That piece makes me feel a lot
of different emotions,” she says. “In
the very beginning it’s excited and
energetic. In the middle it’s more
calm and happy. There are manyemotions one piece of music can
elicit out of you.”
But she was also inspired to
create Spark Care+ by her grand-
mother, who lives in Korea and
whom she calls Halmoni.
“She has mental illness prob-
lems, and when she li stens to my
violin music... it generates really
positive emotions,” Sarah says. Her
grandmother’s favorite songs are
traditional Korean songs that
“bring back happy memories,” Sar-
ah says.Sarah is working on refining her
invention and coming up with an
app version. She also wants to
make sure her invention can be
used by anyone, not just by people
who are good with technology. Her
plan for the final version is for it to
be able to make music suggestions
with or without people answering
questions about their feelings first.
“I hope to be able to distribute it
around the world” to people of all
ages, she says.
[email protected]FAMILY PHOTO
Florida resident Sarah Park won $25,000 from 3M for her Spark Care+ invention, which selects music for
users based on u sers’ answers to questions about their feelings. A sensor measures the user’s heart rate.CHIP SAYS
According to the National Retail Federation,
Halloween is the second largest commercial holiday
in the United States, ranking second to Christmas.
In 2020, Americans spent $8 billion on Halloween.KIDSPOST.COM
Find spooky train rides
and other Halloween
events in the D.C. area
on our website.Adapted from an
online discussion.
Dear Carolyn: My
first baby was
born three
months ago.
Because of the
challenges with
care during covid,
we have decided
I’m going to take the plunge and
become a full-time parent. I am
planning to put in my notice
tomorrow.
And yet... I feel very anxious
about the whole thing. It’s not
that I will miss my job. The main
benefit is the paycheck and the
fact that it keeps me busy. It's
more that I feel that I’m about to
surrender a lot of control to my
husband, on whom I will now
depend financially.
I know generations of spouses
have done this. But I also know it
has led to many women getting
stranded in untenable situations.
I love my husband. He makes
enough money to support us. I
trust him. But people fall out of
love all the time. I don’t have a
safety net in the form of wealthy
parents, and I would like to
think I will work again someday,
when the pandemic is over and
my kid is in school (or kids).
Why am I struggling so hard
to take a leap of faith that so
many other families do easily?
— Cold FeetCold Feet: Other people aren’t
you. You have valid concerns.
And many who made the change
“easily” are the ones who keenly
felt the erosion of their financial
and professional standing. It’s
not a minor concern.
I think you’re smart to have an
eye on what comes next. There
may be — and please let there be
— a long stretch of time between
when the pandemic ends and
when your child is in school.
Keep your mind open to things
you can do when care is more
available.
Also think about a financial
arrangement now that gives you
some of your own money — an
awkward conversation for sure,
but I wonder how he would feel
about going abruptly no-income
himself, on purpose, working for
the family indefinitely for no
pay, while you supported
everyone financially. Wonder
that aloud to him. Healthy
couples share power equally, but
power often ends up following
the money. Essential talk to
have.Re: Cold Feet: Here’s why you’re
angsty. Yes, you love and trust
your husband. Now. You don’t
know what he’s going to do in
the future. This is always true
whether you work or not, but it’s
far more difficult to leave if you
don’t have financialindependence. (Maybe save up a
little somewhere?) You’ve got
cold feet because if you step out
of the workforce, you’ll be
overshadowed by the hundreds
of other, already-employed
candidates who do not need
refreshers on anything. I get
hundreds of job applicants, and
if you’re not currently employed,
your chances are reduced.
You’ve got cold feet because
for all this talk of equality, he
makes the money now. All of it.
You may not consider it really
yours. Every man I know who
has a stay-at-home-mom wife
cannot resist making a comment
when the wife uses their money
in an unapproved way. It’s like
living at home with your parents
again.
You’re scared your workload
may go up because, hey, you’re at
home now and he works. Those
are your roles so he may think
he’s off laundry duty.
— AnonymousAnonymous: Damn. There you
have it, thanks.Write to Carolyn Hax at
[email protected]. Get her
column delivered to your inbox each
morning at http://wapo.st/gethax. Join the discussion live at noon
Fridays at washingtonpost.com/live-
chats.New mom struggles with her decision
to quit her job, become at-home parent
Carolyn
HaxNICK GALIFIANAKIS FOR THE WASHINGTON POST