Happy New Year!

Happy 2008!

Happy Chinese Year of the Rat!
Happy European Year of Intercultural Dialogue!
Happy Australian Year of the Scout!
Happy International Year of Planet Earth!
Happy International Year of the Potato 2008! (w00t! go Idaho!)

And most importantly:
Happy International Year of Sanitation!

This year we can look forward to:

• January 30th - We have a 1 in 25 chance of asteroid 2007 WD5 crashing into Mars! Yikes!
• February 7 - There'll be a partial Solar eclipse over eastern Australia, Antarctica and New Zealand. Book your hotels early, it's is also Chinese New Year!
• February 14 - The Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled for mission STS-123 to add the first section of the Japanese Kibo module to the International Space Station. What better what to say Happy Valentines day?!
• February 21 - There will be a total lunar eclipse in North and South America, Europe, Africa and Western Asia. Enjoy that "Blood Moon," it's fat free!
• March 2 - It's the 2008 Russian presidential election! Sorry, Kasparov was already dismissed - darn governmental obstructions.
• April 1 - National Take Your Plants to Work Day! YES! I got my April Fool's joke in already!
• May - The Large Hadron Collider is scheduled to begin operation, it will be the world's largest particle physics laboratory. Here's hoping for a Higg's Boson for my birthday! (I'm actually really excited about this one)
• May 25 - NASA's Phoenix Lander will land on Mars! It's the first of the Mars Scout missions. Discovering the history of ice has never seemed so exciting.
• June 14 - Expo 2008 opens in Zaragoza, Spain. I just can't get excited about this one.
• August 8-August 24 - The 2008 Summer Olympics will be in Beijing, China. Is it me or does "Dancing Beijing" look like he's flailing more than dancing?
• November 4th - The US Presidential Election. Wow, this one'll be a doozy!

• Oh, also 2008 is the year you need to pick up a digital TV since all US TV broadcasts will be digital starting February 2009. You know you've been waiting for a solid excuse to pick up a digital TV!

Lots to look forward to! Happy 2008!

- Troy