News in the Cancan, Romania

The Cancan is a dance, to most people but, to Romanians, it is "the leading first quality tabloid newspaper", according to its own description.

Now, Ainan's achievements have been covered in many newspapers, in many countries, but I was really quite surprised to discover, today, that the Romanian newspaper, Cancan, had somehow heard about Ainan and, using a photo available online, ran a story on him. It is quite sweet of them, to notice him!

For the few of you who may be able to read Romanian and to preserve it for posterity, I will post it below. I am not sure if they have got all the facts right, because I can't read it - but at least they tried. I think they got the age at which he would browse in libraries wrong by several years...he was much earlier than what I think they are saying.

It was published on the 25th of May 2007:

Geniu in chimie, la doar sapte ani

SIMPLU. Ainan rezolva imediat probleme de chimie care ii pun la grea incercare pe liceeni
Dana Arama (this was the caption to the photo which, unaccountably, won't paste here.)

Ainan Celeste Cawley are doar sapte ani, dar rezolva deja teste de chimie care se dau la examenele de colegiu. De curand, el a trecut cu brio un test la British Council din Singapore, unde a sustinut examenul de chimie alaturi de alti patru concurenti adulti. "Chimia e o stiinta minunata si nu mi se pare deloc grea", spune el, simplu. Ainan si-a manifestat interesul pentru stiinta care studiaza atomii, compozitia, structura si proprietatile substantelor inca de foarte mic. "La 3-4 ani, l-am gasit cotrobaind in biblioteca. Luase carti de stiinta, cu texte foarte greu de inteles chiar si pentru un adult. Le-a citit cu mare interes. Ulterior, a inceput sa comenteze ce citea cu tatal lui", a povestit mama lui Ainan, Syahidah Osman Cawley. Se pare ca micul geniu a mostenit pasiunea pentru stiintele exacte de la tatal lui, Valentine Cawley, licentiat in Fizica la Universitatea Cambridge. A dat toate raspunsurile corecte "El singur a cautat sa afle cat mai multe despre chimie de pe Internet. Cand i-am dat primele teste de rezolvat, foarte greu de rezolvat si pentru un adolescent de 16 ani, a dat toate raspunsurile corecte", a explicat mandru tatal baietelului, Valentine. Ainan, care e jumatate irlandez, jumatate malaezian, a fost un bebelus precoce. La doua saptamani, silabisea cuvinte, la patru luni mergea de-a busilea, la sase luni mergea in picioare, iar la opt luni putea deja sa alerge. Urmatoarele provocari ale micului geniu: sa rezolve testele de chimie pentru elevii de 18 ani, sa intre la universitate si sa se dedice apoi unei cariere stiintifice.

So, hello Romania!

Thank you to Dana Arama for taking the trouble to cover Ainan, in Romanian.