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Chris, Baltimore — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:14:46 GMT

Not sure I understand your question about Australia. They have almost the same ratio as the US...Am I missing something?

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McKludge — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:23:44 GMT

"AhemIraqahem"

Isn't he the new Prime Minister or some such? :-)

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Will Femia — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:31:23 GMT

Chris, you're right, I misread it. Thanks.

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Justin, Washington DC — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:51:23 GMT

I'm not an expert, but I believe the article on Saturn's moons is a touch misleading. I could be wrong, but when they say organic-rich material they aren't saying its alive. They are saying its material that is used in life. (hydro-carbons?)

Also, the map of religions was fascinating to watch. It was a little simplified, and didn't have very many dates, but still very cool.

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Randall K, St. Louis, MO — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 22:26:09 GMT

Will, have you seen the new video on what REALLY happened to the life sized X-Wing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgF9hBL-CuA

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Michael T, Hollywood, CA — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 22:30:34 GMT

I have little doubt that mini-pigs will turn into the next pet/accessory. After all, they're the perfect size to fit into a woman's purse. I can't wait to see when two celebutantes' pet/accessories (I'm thinking mini-pig vs. chihuahua-ratdog) try to tear each other apart on the red carpet. TMZ will be all over it: "Now watch the two crazed pets bite into each others' flesh...in super slo-mo!"

BTW, speaking of women's purses and another subject you brought up, ever wonder how women can cram an entire houseful of stuff in their purses? It's because there's a black hole lying at the bottom of each of them.

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Mark Dykeman (Woodstock, NB CANADA) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:34:28 GMT

Concerning the Rush Limbaugh and Randi Rhoades stories:

Isn't it a bit... odd that we live in a world where journalists and broadcasters become celebrities?

Isn't it a bit... ridiculous that the person who reports or comments on the news can eventually become the subject of news stories? It's almost like becoming a journalist is starting down a slippery slope that eventually makes you the fodder for other journalists. Or is it because some individuals consciously make the decision to promote themselves, not their stories?

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Anonymous — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:53:17 GMT

I was catching up on some blogs when a story caught my eye.  I read a recent post on Clicked which referenced stories involving Rush Limbaugh and Randi Rhodes (a talk show host on Air America, a &#8220;liberal&#8221; talk radio network).  

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Will Femia — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:29:02 GMT

Mark, I don't think it's an accident. Making someone famous has been analyzed to a science and it can be done to anyone whether they have talent or special knowledge or not -- as we've seen. In the news business there's definitely a sense of "making news" not just reporting news. When Matt Lauer interviews Larry Craig, the expectation is that headlines will come from that interview. Those headlines might be news but more importantly Lauer has "made news" with his Larry Craig interview.

Reporting news is hard and costly and not very efficient, just like learning a skill or developing a talent. Why go through all that when you can sit in a studio and make news with interviews and analysis? Why go through all that when you can kick off a scandal loop that feeds itself and fuels a gossip industry about nothing?

Sometimes I think the same thing about sports by the way.

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Mark Dykeman — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:57:29 GMT

Thanks for your feedback, Will (and I apologize for hitting your post with both a trackback and a comment, but the trackback was an afterthought).

Fair point: there's certainly intent (both ego and profit motives) behind making a celebrity out of a journalist. The media does the same for any individual whose story is deemed to be "newsworthy" - why not feed on their own?

I guess from a more naive, antiquated point of view, the journalist was supposed to be a paragon of fairness and integrity (Murrow, Cronkite, Woodward and Bernstein are the first names that spring to mind), but the reality is that most people have the same desires and temptations regardless of what job they do. I'm sure not immune to it! Even paragons of purity like religious leaders have problems keeping their robes spotless. So it's not surprising that people of all stripes will try to do the easy thing to meet their goals. Unfortunately, you do have to wonder where you can go to get the unvarnished truth and, more importantly, where any motivation exists to publish the same.

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Paul, Alamo, CA — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:46:01 GMT

The rape thing is absurd anyway: holding someone at gunpoint and stealing something from them is called armed robbery; further, keeping her there at gunpoint is false imprisonment and kidnapping. So, even if this judge is trying to make a point, the secondary charges do not go away (and are very serious). There is no legal basis for holding a gun on someone with the implied threat to use it, and it not being an armed assault. Even in Texas they know better.