I feel as though you guys should at least mention the NY Times writeup about your former colleague who is now trying to communicate the SPD's marijuana policy.

Meanwhile at the Republican governors' conference, the doubling-down begins: Obama won because of "gifts to his base" and a far superior ground game (and oh yeah, their candidate kinda sucked), absolutely nothing to do with the issues, so no mandate and certainly no need to compromise. Maybe just lighten the tone a little.

In Evangelicaland, some leaders (with gay friends!) say it's time to stop the war rhetoric and start reaching out for "compromise."

http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/11/…

http://www.npr.org/2012/11/18/165379129/…

http://www.npr.org/2012/11/18/165399634/…

Who breaks into a zoo in dark clothes just to kill a monkey?

tl; dr

Much to my chagrin, a Mars mission won't happen in my lifetime unless I live to be a very, very old guy. I guess the time frame thrown around is 290 days there and 290 days back (approx. 9 months each way). I assume there'll have to be more space stations between Earth and Mars to accomplish the mission - which will take some time. I'm sorry that I don't know this, but has anyone been in zero gravity for eighteen months? I realize Mars has its own gravity, but essentially, the astronauts would be weightless for a year and a half. And wouldn't the spacecraft have to be way larger than what put us on the Moon? I can't imagine anyone being that cooped up in a capsule for that long. So, wouldn't the journey require something more in keeping with the size of the space shuttle?

The adventurer in me longs to see this happen. I mean...c'mon!...space travel! But the realist in me thinks maybe non-manned missions are the way to go. Saves a lot of money and possible lives.

"Holy Troubles" Are you saying Jews are attacking Muslims in Gaza? B/C that would be exactly wrong. The State of Israel is attacking a bunch of impoverished refugees pushed off their land by said State.

It is an effort to persuade them to get out of the hell Israel has made of their land.

Well, haha Israel. Palestinians will not give up their land.

But if there is an actual hell, the leaders of Israel belong in it, along with their arms merchant in chief, Obamayahoo.

"Holy Troubles" Are you saying Jews are attacking Muslims in Gaza? B/C that would be exactly wrong. The State of Israel is attacking a bunch of impoverished refugees Israel pushed off their land in the 1940s.

It is an effort to persuade the Palestinians to get out of the hell Israel has made of their land.

Well, haha Israel. Palestinians will not give up their land.

But if there is an actual hell, the leaders of Israel belong in it, along with their arms merchant in chief, Obamayahoo.

@7 Bauhaus. The record for consecutive weightlessness is 14 months. This was on Mir, no less (where exercising was not as easy as it is on the ISS). But, you know, Mars probably has enough gravity so that combined with exercise, it's probably adequate to protect a Martian's heart and bones indefinitely.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeri_Poly…

Travelers to Mars may have to stay there for a year or more, (or forever*), allowing some recovery from the weightlessness of the trip there. And at least one mission proposed by the Russians uses a spinning spacecraft to provide "gravity."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_miss…

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_to_Sta…

Thanks for the info and the links, Sandiai. Live long and prosper.