Another unexpected outcome of global warming; Europe could freeze over in a matter of decades. Global warming could plunge Britain into new ice age within decades, claims research. Seems that the heating of tropical waters by global warming could cause the Gulf Stream to collapse, ending the warm and temperate climate Europe enjoys. Once that happens, Western Europe could quickly come to resemble Labrador, a frosty, treeless tundra with long bitter winters.

It’s a good thing George W. Bush told us that global warming doesn’t exist. For a moment there I was almost tempted to believe trained scientists who have spent a lifetime studying this so called phenomenon. I bet they feel pretty silly now.

Opportunity rover lands on Mars at Meridiani Planum. And it looks completely different from Gusev Crater. Dark soil, flat slab-like bedrock and nary a hill to be seen. I can’t wait for the color photos and panoramas.

JPL’s Mars Rover Mission homepage is chock full of information and photos. And check out this nice Flash presentation on the Mars landing sites, both past and present.

Captain Kangaroo, Bob Keeshan, passed away Friday after a long illness. He was 76.

And photographer Helmut Newton also died on Friday, after crashing his automobile into a wall at a Los Angeles hotel. Mr. Newton was 83.

I will miss both of these gentlemen. I enjoyed Capt. Kangaroo immensely when I was child, and several Helmut Newton posters hang from my walls.

Christ, this is just unbelievable. A woman started taking an antibiotic for a sinus infection, but she developed an allergic reaction to the Bactrim that caused all her skin to slough off, all of it. Every square inch of skin on her body and the internal lining of her organs. Sweet Jesus. Doctors called her reaction an extremely rare condition called TEN – toxic epidermal necrolysis. Apparently this condition is almost always fatal (duh!) but she miraculously lived. Sheesh.