Scram!

An Australian research team may have pulled off a successful scramjet test, which, according to the article, would mean “one of the most significant technological advances since American Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier in 1947.” If nothing else, to be able to fly to Australia and back in two hours would be something else.

Dear Thai-ry…

Visiting spaceships and penis shrines, My friend Seth reports in from Bangkok.

Gentle Giant or Ivan Drago?

The NBA and the Houston Rockets try to figure out how to market Yao Ming. Looks like Agassi’s just psyched Yao doesn’t play tennis.

The Complicated American.

What the World Thinks of America, from Gary Kamiya of Salon (premium). A fascinating read.

Cheerio.

Thanks to Dubya Diplomacy, even Britain, our closest ally for almost a century, is striking out on her own.

Construction Time Again.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. releases six plans for WTC rebuilding. I’d say my favorite is the Memorial Garden (pictured at right), with the Memorial Promenade ranking a close second.

Drug War Armistice.

In a burst of common sense the likes of which we’re probably not going to see Stateside for some time to come (except maybe in Nevada), Britain relaxes its cannabis laws to focus on more dangerous drugs.

Swans and Toddlers.

Gillian gets a very positive review in the NYT for her performance as Odette/Odile (the lead) in Swan Lake over the weekend. No mention is made of the ridiculously bratty kid who was screaming through most of Act II, nor of the overly reactive shushs and gasps of utter disbelief made by most of the ballet cognoscenti at the child’s behavior. Gill and her partner (Jose Carreno) were real troopers through it, though, and it definitely got the crowd even more behind them for the rest of the show.

Mars or Bust.

Russia proposes to NASA and the European Space Agency that we send humans to Mars by 2015. Great idea…and let’s get the Chinese involved as well.

The Hick From French Lick goes Carolina.

Looking for a team to call his own, Larry Bird tries to bring the NBA back to Charlotte.