HMM: Microbes thrive in harsh, Mars-like lakes.

Life not only survives but thrives in Australian lakes where conditions may be as harsh as those on ancient Mars, a new DNA analysis suggests.

Minerals on Mars studied by the NASA rovers suggest water once flowed on the planet’s surface, but was very salty and acidic, raising doubts about whether it could have supported life.

But in 2007, Melanie Mormile of Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla and colleagues cultured a bacterium from water sampled from one of several salty, acidic lakes in Western Australia.

Of course, the only way to be sure is to look. But personally, I hope there’s no life on Mars.

THE RISE OF quantum-dot camera phones.

THE AR-15 MARKET, not actually near “collapse.” It would be more accurate to say that the Obama-election sales bubble has burst.

MICHAEL YON POSTS SOME COOL PICS FROM AFGHANISTAN, and reports: “A scent of weakness is in the air. The Taliban remain deadly and capable – yet they seem to be losing the initiative. ‘Shaping Operations’ are underway. Special Operations Forces are picking off and collecting key Taliban leaders. With our increase in troops, the Taliban must spend more time on self-defence, deducting from their capacity for offensive operations.” Remember that he’s supported by reader donations, so if you like his work, consider donating. I’ve done so in the past, and just donated again.

UTILITIES: Security problems with “smart” meters. “Smart meters have security flaws that could let hackers tamper with the power grid, opening the door for attackers to jack up strangers’ power bills, remotely turn someone else’s power on and off, or even allow attackers to get into the utilities’ computer networks to steal data or stage bigger attacks on the grid.”

THE TIMING APPEARS CONVENIENT: FBI stages domestic raids.

UPDATE: Thoughts from Dan Riehl. Helping law enforcement with searches? I didn’t realize the Michigan Militia was still around.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Lawprof Tom Smith senses a media spin campaign: “Just wait for the MSM to associate them with ‘tea baggers’ and anybody not wild about health care. It could be something else but it looks like a plausible rumor at this stage. I am not hopeful that any distinctions will be made by our opinion leaders between those who think the Illuminati and the Joooz are running the world and those who think we should not create a debt that is half the size of our GDP. I hope the FBI understands the difference.”

MORE: According to this report, it’s got nothing to do with the Michigan Militia: “The group Hutaree, which has absolutely no connection to the Michigan Militia at all, has gotten into some serious trouble. From what my source has told me, this group was actually making threats towards Islamic groups.” Well, stay tuned. As has been noted here before, early reports on stuff like this are often wrong.

BRAIN REPAIR with cell therapy. Faster, please.

OBAMA MAKES SURPRISE VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN: Well, Bush did it when he was underwater in the polls, so I guess it makes sense. My advice to Obama: If you pass out any food, be sure to take a bite on camera, or some idiot will claim it was plastic.

ARE ELECTRIC CARS FOR GEEKS?

Well, this one certainly is.

IN THE MAIL: Reality Marketing Revolution: Transform Your Small Business Into a Money Making Machine!

POLL: Majority Says Tea Party More in Touch With Reality Than Congress. “The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of U.S. voters believe the average member of the Tea Party movement has a better understanding of the issues facing America today than the average member of Congress. Only 30% believe that those in Congress have a better understanding of the key issues facing the nation.” If this poll holds up, expect another U-turn on Tea Party-bashing.

UPDATE: Related: WaPo poll: Even with skewed sample, ObamaCare not getting any more popular.

Plus this: ‘Interestingly, Obama’s worst issue by far is immigration. Only 33% approve of his handling of immigration issues, while 43% disapprove, 28% strongly so. Obama has expressed interest in taking on immigration with the ObamaCare fight mainly over, but these numbers suggest that he may want to wait until after the midterm elections.”

Plus, from the comments: “Time for Waxman and Stupak to call the pollsters in for hearings.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: But among Democrats, voter enthusiasm is up. And trying to excite that base is probably the real reason for all the attacks on opponents this week.

Related: Majority of U.S. People Are Racist Because They Oppose Health Care Reform.

WSJ: THE GOVERNMENT PAY BOOM. “It turns out there really is growing inequality in America. It’s the 45% premium in pay and benefits that government workers receive over the poor saps who create wealth in the private economy. And the gap is growing. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), from 1998 to 2008 public employee compensation grew by 28.6%, compared with 19.3% for private workers. In the recession year of 2009, with almost no inflation and record budget deficits, more than half the states awarded pay raises to their employees. Even as deficits in state capitals widen and are forcing cuts in services, few politicians are willing to eliminate these pay inequities.”

There’s more: “What if government workers earned the average of what private workers earn? States and localities would save $339 billion a year from their more than $2.1 trillion budgets. These savings are larger than the combined estimated deficits for 2010 and 2011 of every state in America. In a separate survey, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis compares the compensation of public versus private workers in each of the 50 states. Perhaps not coincidentally, the pay gap is widest in states that have the biggest budget deficits, such as New Jersey, Nevada and Hawaii. Of the 40 states that have a budget deficit so far this year, 28 would have a balanced budget were it not for the windfall to government workers.”

SMART DIPLOMACY: 327 House members tell Obama to make U-turn on US-Israeli relations. “The letter’s lead signatories were Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD). The letter had only circulated for three days last week before garnering 327 signatures, probably the most bipartisan effort seen on Capitol Hill in this session of Congress. It provides a measure of just how far out of the mainstream the Obama administration has gotten on relations with Israel. Moreover, they’re entirely correct. Thanks to what amounts to a reversal of 20 years of American policy on settlements in Jerusalem, Obama has given the Palestinians a reason to refuse to come to the table that Israel simply can’t address. Obama has made peace a lot less likely than it was fifteen months ago by throwing his tantrum in such a public manner. Weakening Israel won’t bring peace — it will bring more attacks on Israel as Palestinians begin to believe that the US won’t back its ally any longer.”

TAXPROF: Bank of America, Wells Fargo to Pay Zero 2009 Income Tax.

LARGE TEA-PARTY CROWD supports Washington State Attorney General. “A large crowd gathered this morning at the state Capitol in support of Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna, a day after people at a much smaller rally took him to task for taking legal action against recently passed federal health care legislation.”

IN THE SAME SENSE THAT “at least dozens” watch CNN. Check out the photos. Good grief, CNN. You’re managing to underperform even my expectations. . . .

POLITICO: 2,000 House Staffers Make Six Figures.

WAIT, I THOUGHT THIS WAS A RECESSION: Skyrocketing college tuition. No wonder people need food stamps.

UNIVERSITIES ENCOURAGE COLLEGE STUDENTS TO . . . go on food stamps? Because cutting tuition is out of the question, I guess. Also, you can get surprisingly good provender:

“I’m sort of a foodie, and I’m not going to do the ‘living off ramen’ thing,” one young man said, fondly remembering a recent meal he’d prepared of roasted rabbit with butter, tarragon and sweet potatoes. “I used to think that you could only get processed food and government cheese on food stamps, but it’s great that you can get anything.”

The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service did not respond to request for comment.

Like the song says . . . .

IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, retracting bogus claims of Tea Party racism.

VALERIE JARRETT: “Iran will back down.” Well, I hope she’s right.

LOOKS LIKE THERE WON’T BE MUCH DEBATE on Britain’s Digital Economy Bill. “Rather than calling for a full debate on the bill’s provision allowing the record industry to take away your family’s internet access if they believe (but can’t prove) you’ve infringed on copyright, the LibDems have joined the other parties in supporting a short, 45-minute half-day second reading. After that, the Digital Economy Bill will disappear into ‘wash up,’ a fast-track, no-debate way of passing bills, usually reserved for bills that everyone agrees on and that need to get pushed through before an election.” Sounds kinda familiar . . .

MARKDOWNS ON digital kitchen scales.

THE ELECTORATE IS receptive to “repeal and replace.” “The public has not, contrary to the Left’s expectations, become enamored of big government in the wake of the financial meltdown. To the contrary, the bailouts and stimulus plan have engendered suspicion and contempt. The ‘Trust us, it’s working!’ rhetoric has contributed to the public’s growing unease with governing elites. And the mound of debt has reinforced the public’s suspicion that the White House and Congress are unserious and ill-equipped to address our fiscal train wreck.”

BRITISH: “Special Relationship” with U.S. Is Dead.

UPDATE: Reader Paul Jackson writes:

Who could have foreseen that the president who follows Obama will have to hit the reset button…..with Great Britain and Israel!!! And the list may grow longer, he’s only been president for 14 months. India anyone?

Yeah, so far this “smart diplomacy” thing isn’t living up to the promises.