From the Fairbanks News Miner here:Fairbanks — Al Gore can thank the Nobel Committee for honoring him with the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
He can also thank Fairbanks businessman Craig Compeau for what could be the farthest-north likeness of the former vice president: A 5-ton ice sculpture of a “shivering” Gore, created during a recent spell of bitterly cold weather in Alaska and aimed at confronting global-warming theories.
How much would you do to help your husband keep his job? Would you petition the president?That’s what Rebecca Griffin, the wife of NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, did.
Rebecca Griffin is e-mail blasting a "Campaign for Mike" message around, asking friends, family and everyone in between to sign an online petition asking President-elect Barack Obama to "consider keeping Mike Griffin on as NASA administrator."
"The journeys have been motivated by science, but have led to something else important. This has turned into humanity's first overland expedition on another planet. When people look back on this period of Mars exploration decades from now, Spirit and Opportunity may be considered most significant not for the science they accomplished, but for the first time we truly went exploring across the surface of Mars."
Found at NASA 
This spacecraft was the first of the Apollo series to successfully orbit the moon, and the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth's gravity and reach the Moon. The mission achieved operational experience and tested the Apollo command module systems, including communications, tracking, and life-support, in cis-lunar space and lunar orbit, and allowed evaluation of crew performance on a lunar orbiting mission. The crew photographed the lunar surface, both farside and nearside, obtaining information on topography and landmarks as well as other scientific information necessary for future Apollo landings. Additionally, six live television transmission sessions were done by the crew during the mission, including the famous Christmas Eve broadcast in which the astronauts read from the book of Genesis. All systems operated within allowable parameters and all objectives of the mission were achieved. The flight carried a three man crew: Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James A. Lovell, Jr., and Lunar Module Pilot William A. Anders.
From Apollo 8 at NASA
Mission Apollo 8 page here.
Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts; Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders did a live television broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and Moon seen from Apollo 8. Lovell said, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis.
William Anders:
"For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you".
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."
Jim Lovell:
"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."
Frank Borman:
"And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."
Borman then added, "And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth."
Our president Michelle Evans has made an issue of the Prop 8 in our November newsletter. She has called the Yes on 8 issue a bigoted proposition. I disagree. The issue does not attack Gays and Lesbians. The issue does not impose any religious beliefs on anyone. What the issue does is provide parents the rights to teach our kids about Traditional Marriage. Marriage is part of our society. And studies show that children raised by a Mom and a Dad do the best.
My problem with Michelle is this Prop 8 issue is not a "space related" issue. She clams that it is a diversity issue. We are a diverse society, but how is our civilization to move ahead if we can't raise a generation of space faring people? We need the traditional family unit to procreate and further the Human race. Civil unions are legal in California. Even Elton John said the No on Prop. 8 people got it wrong. You don't need "Marriage" to legally live with a partner of the same sex.
My firm commitment to the space faring race will continue, its just I'll change my chapter affiliation. There is much diversity in this universe and I'll go find it with another local chapter. (Like with Oasis, the Los Angeles chapter).
From NASA Watch