In August, crew members of a yacht sailing through the Tonga Islands spotted a massive pumice raft covering several square kilometers of ocean. A pumice raft is a large quantity of pumice fragments floating on the ocean surface (pumice is a volcanic rock that contains so many gas vesicles that it floats).

Satellite pic at link above,  surface pics here.

NASA's auditor probed

A federal probe of NASA Inspector General Robert Cobb outlines allegations that he stifled investigations, mistreated department employees and maintained a close personal relationship with top officials of the agency he was supposed to independently monitor.

Team discovers exotic relatives of protons, neutrons

A team of scientists, including four at The Johns Hopkins University, has discovered two new subatomic particles, rare but important relatives of the familiar, commonplace proton and neutron.  Named "Sigma-sub-b" particles, the two exotic and incredibly quick to decompose particles are like rare jewels...

Blind mice see again after retina cell transplants
British and American scientists have restored vision in blind mice by transplanting light-sensitive cells into their eyes in a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments of human eye diseases.

The Smart and Swinging Bonobo

Civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has threatened the existence of wild bonobos, while new research on the hypersexual primates challenges their peace-loving reputation

Keeping Money in Mind Makes People Less Helpful

Money is an incentive to work hard, but it also promotes selfish behavior. Those conclusions may not be surprising, but now researchers find that merely thinking of money makes people less likely to give help to others.

No point using skinny models in ads, psychologist finds

Models of average size are just as effective at selling products as ultra-thin models, a social psychologist's research suggests.

Brilliant Minds Forecast the Next 50 Years
What will be the biggest breakthrough of the next 50 years?  Over 70 of the world's most brilliant scientists share their ideas.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead

The Pentagon wants to build a compound costing up to $125 million for upcoming war crimes trials at Guantánamo. The proposal has yet to be presented to Congress, which must OK funding.

AP Gets Shocking New Report on Gitmo

           Looking for an Iraq exit?

Syria and Iran - Axis of Evil or Brokers of Peace?  

US and Britain are in denial over failed policy, says former UN envoy

Never mind the search for new friends in the Middle East,

'Cut and Run' Must be First Step in Iraq says Lt. General William E. Odom,

"The United States upset the regional balance in the Mideast when it invaded Iraq. Restoring it requires bold initiatives, but "cutting and running" must precede them all. Only a withdrawal of all U.S. troops - within six months and with no preconditions - can break the paralysis that enfeebles our diplomacy."

And from our old friends

Saudis give Blair Ultimatum, threatening to suspend diplomatic ties over bribery investigation.

Spanish FM: Peace plan withheld for fear of Israeli rejection

'Islamic states see sympathy turning against Israel'

And our man Al Gore sums up the world:

'At stake is nothing less than the survival of human civilisation.'

Hopes among women's groups in Nicaragua that President Enrique Bolaños would stop one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Latin America from taking effect have been dashed, as the president signed it into law late Friday.

Abortion has been illegal in Nicaragua for more than a century, and most women who decide to end unwanted pregnancies seek procedures at underground clinics. But the new law strikes out a clause that made it possible for a woman to obtain an abortion legally when three doctors certified that unless she did, her own life would be in danger.

For months, the proposed law has drawn fierce criticism from several local women's groups, the country's association of gynecologists, the United Nations, the World Health Organization and Human Rights Watch, among others.

"This is a throwback to the Middle Ages for women's rights," Juana Jiménez, the leader of the Women's Autonomous Movement in Nicaragua, said after the law was passed.

The law was the fruit of the recent presidential election, as conservatives saw a chance to gain its passage in Parliament during the election season...

...Some opponents to the law had hoped Mr. Bolaños, a conservative, would not sign the bill because it did not include the stiffer sentences he had wanted for women who had had illegal abortions, or for those who had performed abortions. The six-year prison term remains unchanged under the law. The president had asked for a 30-year prison term.

And since I'm having a bad day, just go read Amanda's piece on John McCain's latest act of Christian-right fellatio.   Now he wants Roe v Wade overturned too.