That's Wild

I have always been very interested in interplanetary exploration, and the Spirit mission to Mars has me nearly transfixed. This is one of the neatest space missions in years, and because of the coolness of the Intar-web you too can share in it. Check out Quicktime panorama of the landing site – truly a must.
The success of this Mars mission is overshadowing the amazing Stardust mission to the comet Wild 2 (the funky rock featured in the picture above). Stardust is currently collecting ejected material from the comet for a return to Earth in 2006. For the first time ever our scientists will be able to examine pieces of comets, which are widely believed to be leftover chunks of rock and ice from the formation of the solar system.
W’s plan to go back to the Moon and Mars is unbelievably transparent, by the way. He proposes an ambitious plan to establish a moon base, yet doesn’t actually fund it or propose any way to do so (beyond proposing to up NASA’s budget by less than he’s asking Congress for a PR plan to revitalize marriage). Moreover, in response to this unfounded mandate to NASA, the space agency has announced that they will now have to abandon the Hubble Space telescope some five years ahead of time, which means that the US is scrapping the single most useful piece of astronomical equipment in world history for an election year ploy designed to benefit contractors concentrated in Texas and (wait for it) Florida.

This woman is asking for damages in excess of $50,000 for injuring her foot in a McDonald’s – by fleeing a small, nonpoisonous snake (that no one could find afterwards). I guess that’s why people hate lawyers.