WEEKLY WHINE

Yuri's Night 2003: Stump Edvard

Well, perhaps by now you've recovered from your post-Yuri's Night hangover. Unless, of course, you live in Princeton, NJ or Logan, UT. But now that we've passed this milestone, it's time to check in with our resident holistic analyst, "Dynamite Eating" Edvard van de Kamp, to find out what it all means. If you're unfamiliar with the concept of Dynamite Eating Edvard, don't fret; just read:

• Don't Try This At Home, SUN 11 JUN 2000
• Don't Let Them Confuse You, SUN 01 APR 2001
• On Tour with Edvard, SUN 08 APR 2001
• The Life and Times of Edvard, SUN 27 MAY 2001
• With Friends Like These..., SUN 13 OCT 2002
• The Basketball Biz: Stump Edvard, SUN 01 DEC 2002

Edvard is standing by to take your questions about Yuri's Night and its implications for the future of humanity. Or he would be if you hadn't already sent them in. But on the bright side, that means there's no waiting to see his responses.

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Dear Edvard: I saw quite a few newspaper articles here in Stockholm about our local party. Were the other parties big and exciting too? - Linda Fïllar, Stockholm, Sweden

Dear Linda: Yes. The other 76 parties ranged from other club type parties [like Leiden, Los Angeles, and New York] to educational events [like Pitakotte, Sydney, and Varadzin] to mixtures of both [Mexico City, Ankara, and Chicago]. It is estimated that a total of 10,000 people worldwide celebrated Yuri's Night, not to mention the millions who celebrated Cosmonauts' Day.

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Dear Edvard: How did the weather cooperate? - Chad MacArthur, Tacoma, WA, USA

Dear Chad: Not very well. Sacramento planned their festivities for outdoor observations but were rained out. Observations in Varadzin and Princeton were clouded out. But in Ankara, for example, observations went quite well; the Moon, planets, and the International Space Station were amongst their observational targets.

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Dear Edvard: How did the parties respond to the loss of Columbia two months ago? - Ahmed Alegoury, Sana'a, Yemen

Dear Ahmed: Naturally, for residents of Houston, TX, STS-107's loss was particularly heartbreaking. But Houston was once again home to one of the largest Yuri's Night parties, at which celebrants made it clear that space exploration is a worthy goal regardless of the risks that it poses. In addition, proceeds from the party in Los Angeles benefitted the Space Shuttle Children's Trust Fund.

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Dear Edvard: Who's Roger Houston? - Becky Shorewood, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Dear Becky: Roger Houston are a band that played at the Memphis, TN party. As that party's organiser said, "How perfect was that!"

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Dear Edvard: It was very perfect. - Becky Shorewood, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Dear Becky: That wasn't a question.

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Dear Edvard: Were there fun things for kids to do? - Xiaoling Hu, Wuhan, China

Dear Xiaoling: Of course. Kids in Austin, TX launched bottle rockets. Kids in Los Angeles, CA played Astro Jeopardy!. Kids ran roughshod in various museums, engaged their minds in space activities, and had at least as much fun as the adults.

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Dear Edvard: So what's next for Yuri's Night? - George Brien, Oakland, CA, USA

Dear George: MON 12 APR 2004. Duh.

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Dear Edvard: How come we never got to see a webcast from Los Angeles? - Dave Baltimore, San Marino, CA, USA

Dear Dave: Because they're dumb.