Thin ice opens lead for life on Europa: "The chances that life exists on Jupiter's moon Europa look better than ever. Researchers think the moon's icy crust may be just a few kilometres thick - perhaps thin enough to crack open under tidal stresses and allow life in the oceans below to flourish by absorbing the Sun's energy."

Person shot at Virginia restaurant: "Authorities shut down sections of Interstate 95 and Route 54 after a shooting in the Richmond suburb of Ashland, but it is unclear if it could be linked to the series of sniper shootings that have killed nine people and wounded two others since October 2."

Curfew imposed in Manila after three die in attack on bus: "A bomb ripped through a bus in suburban Manila last night, killing at least three people and injuring 20. The explosion, at 10pm in the Quezon City area of the capital, came hours after a grenade exploded in the Makati financial district and a day after seven people were killed and 150 injured in two bombings in the southern city of Zamboanga."

From David, a new job:

JOB DESCRIPTION

Assistant Program Coordinator

Job Description:

Two Navy Jet Fighters Collide Off California: "Two advanced U.S. Navy F/A-18F 'Super Hornet' fighter jets apparently collided and crashed into the Pacific Ocean off California on Friday and a massive search was launched for four crewmen, officials said. The aircraft went missing about 80 miles southwest of Monterey, California, during a training flight. There was no immediate indication of the cause of the crash, Navy officials said at the Pentagon. Coast Guard officials in San Francisco said a debris field and oil slick had been located, but there was thus far no sign of survivors."

Wife's bites cause death, police claim: "Modesto police said Kelli Pratt wanted her feeble 65-year-old husband to have sex with her the night of Oct. 7. When Arthur Pratt refused, police said, his 45-year-old wife held him down and bit him repeatedly during a savage attack that ultimately killed him."

Why 6-Legged Bots Rule: "Forget two-legged bots - forget androids altogether. Bio-guru Robert Full has seen the future of robotics, and it's one part cockroach, one part millipede, one part Internet."

Philippines Bus Blast Kills Three: "A bomb ripped through a bus in suburban Manila late Friday, killing at least three people and injuring others, police said. The explosion took place at 10 p.m. in Quezon City, despite tightened security following two deadly bombings a half-hour apart Thursday in the southern Philippines and a grenade blast after midnight in Manila's financial district."

American Stupidity and Iraq: "If you are an American like me, chances are that the rest of the world thinks you're stupid. During the last year, our countrymen have developed a reputation for being apathetic, naive, ignorant, and just plain dumb. Well, I am an American with some dignity, and I happen to think that average Americans are not significantly dumber than anyone else. But then how can we explain our baffling support for G. W. Bush's pretense for starting a war in Iraq? Two explanations are usually offered: Ignorance and stupidity. I've witnessed several debates about which of these plays the larger role. However, I think it's neither. Our ignorance and stupidity have been grossly overestimated."

If Architects Had To Work Like Web Designers: "Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion. My house should have somewhere between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one."