Grand Rounds Vol. 2 No. 43 is available with some great posts, and the presentation is rather nice.

The West African black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes) is now feared to be extinct.  “An intensive survey earlier this year of the West African black rhino has failed to locate any sign of their continued presence in their last refuges in northern Cameroon.”  While they were at it, they looked for the rhino’s cousin and could “find no more than four northern white rhinos” (Ceratotherium simum cottoni).  We’re quite good at this extinction thing, are we not?

What does the U.S. government have to say about evacuating our citizens from Lebanon (or anywhere else)?  Regardless of the circumstances, they’re quite clear on this matter: “The Department of State reminds American citizens that the U.S. government does not provide no-cost transportation but does have the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need.”  How nice.  And I thought we paid taxes, at least in part, to ensure protection for our own.  I was apparently wrong.  [via revere at Effect Measure]

What happens when a good doctor experiences terrible bedside manner from another physician?  Hopefully, they take a serious look at themselves.

Perhaps you’ve already heard.  Perhaps you haven’t.  In either case, our very own King George has the answer to the latest Middle East crises: “See, the irony is what they really need to do is to get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit.”  Really, that’s what he said to Blair before the G8 leaders had lunch.  Wow, Mr. Bush!  Why didn’t anyone else think of that?

—Stupid fucking redneck idiot asshole from hell in the White House…  Oh, sorry.  I was just thinking out loud.  Back to the thread—

So how’s that War on Terror™ goin’?  We hit back in Afghanistan, didn’t we?  And we hit the Taliban and al-Qaida there, right?  Ah, I see.  So, we’re making progress, are we?  If so, will someone ‘splain me how we have “two southern Afghan towns captured in recent days by the Taliban”?  Just askin’.  We’re really cookin’ with gas now, huh?  Uh-huh.  We’re all that.  And the fuckin’ bag of chips.  So there.

And today’s Republican quote establishing that not all hope is lost hails from Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina:

“What I’m trying to do with my time in the Senate during this whole debate we’re having is to remind the Senate that the rules we set up speak more about us than it does the enemy,” Mr. Graham said in an interview. “The enemy has no rules. They don’t give people trials, they summarily execute them and they’re brutal, inhuman creatures. But when we capture one of them, what we do is about us, not about them. Do they deserve, the bad ones, all the rights that are afforded? No. But are we required to do it because of what we believe? Yes.”

Noctilucent clouds over Sweden.  Pretty.

And while you’re there, don’t miss this photo of Saturn’s moon Rhea sliding along in front of the rings.  Watch the video if you can.

Finally, and also related to space, here are new images of the inflatable satellite — now in space as the photos show — that I previously mentioned here.