Vlad & the Brazilian Space Program...

Did you know that Brazil has the most advanced space program in Latin America?

And did you know that it was almost entirely shut down after an attempt to launch South America's first satellite ended in a horrible explosion killing 21 people in August of 2003? And that Vladamir Putin has recently stepped in to salvage the agency and bring it back up to speed? And finally, that yesterday, Brazil's first man in space, Marcos C. Pontes, a 43-year-old father of two who enjoys weightlifting and watercolor painting, floated into the International Space Station bearing what else? A Brazilian flag, a soccer jersey, and a beaming smile. I don't know about any of the political ramifications here, but I do know that the Soviets (oops, I mean the Russians) are damn good with those space programs. If Vlad Putin wants to invest in your space program, you'd should definitely let him. And let him play with your dolphins too. He thinks they're really smart and cute.