I can't help it! I like Fareed Zakaria. Plus the quote page is always entertaining.

Cool!

[link]

An Earth-size planet has been spotted orbiting a nearby star at a distance that would makes it not too hot and not too cold — comfortable enough for life to exist, researchers announced today (Sept. 29).

If confirmed, the exoplanet, named Gliese 581g, would be the first Earth-like world found residing in a star's habitable zone — a region where a planet's temperature could sustain liquid water on its surface.

And the planet's discoverers are optimistic about the prospects for finding life there.

"Personally, given the ubiquity and propensity of life to flourish wherever it can, I would say, my own personal feeling is that the chances of life on this planet are 100 percent," said Steven Vogt, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, during a press briefing today. "I have almost no doubt about it."

His colleague, Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, in Washington, D.C., wasn't willing to put a number on the odds of life, though he admitted he's optimistic.

...

Gliese 581g is one of two new worlds the team discovered orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 581, bumping that nearby star's family of planets to six. The other newfound planet, Gliese 581f, is outside the habitable zone, researchers said.

The star is located 20 light-years from Earth in the constellation Libra. One light-year is about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion km).

Olive Garden, it turns out.

And I had to drive people there and back. And one of them commented on the scratches on my TEN YEAR OLD CAR. And they spoke in a language I didn't understand all the way back.

I am so full of grump. It's a good thing I like these people, plus I applied retail therapy earlier today.

And my bossed just called me out on missing out a huge step in the project--and then he called the business user who said "of course we're not doing that step." Oh, thank DOG. I was willing to eat crow, but sheeit. I would have hated being that wrong. Ha ha! t /Muntz

And they spoke in a language I didn't understand all the way back

In the same car? Totally rude!

That Michigan AG is fucking insane. A pathetic loser who is dangerous in his obsession. I hope that kid wins a HUGE civil suit against that fucker.

I'm just wondering how long before he gets caught publicly soliciting a male prostitute or entering/leaving a gay bar, or otherwise outing himself.

Word, Steph. He totally screams "lady who doth protest too much."

eta ha! I posted that before I saw you agreed with me on fb. Mutual assured validation!!

I'm just wondering how long before he gets caught publicly soliciting a male prostitute or entering/leaving a gay bar, or otherwise outing himself.

we should start a pool.

Maybe he slept with the guy once and is afraid that he'll get outed. He's setting up this insane campaign so that he can claim that they are trying to discredit him.

the student seems to be taking it very well.

In the same car? Totally rude!

In the same car. All of them but me. I guess it's not unanimously rude when some people do it at a dinner table, but when everyone but one person in a car...hmmph.

ita, totes rude!

I can only imagine Anderson Coopers thoughts while interviewing that AG. Anderson's been en fuego this week.

Rude!

Jessica, your Sam Sifton link went to an article about wind turbines.

Wrong Jess, but oops. I had other things to say about the turbines....