“Though rather late in the day, we are producing domestic astronauts to match our national clout.”
Korea Aerospace Research Institute announcement on issuing an open application form for the country’s first astronauts (Chosun Iibo, 23 November)
“It discourages promiscuity, and if children are not promiscuous it ensures the spread of HIV/AIDS is halted.”
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Patekile Holomisa, head of Contralesa, the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa, on the virginity testing of young girls, which the South African government is attempting to ban (Reuters, 26 November)
“You are drinking somebody else’s urine instead of your own. I’m not sure psychologically which is worse. I think I’d rather drink my own.”
How drinking water from recycled urine will go down on future missions to Mars, according to Vickie Kloeris of Space Food Systems at the Johnson Space Center (Associated Press, 24 November)
“It might seem a ridiculous idea and some might attack it as a bad joke, but why should we not have a contest for HIV-positive women?”
Russia should hold a beauty contest to challenge public stereotypes about people living with HIV, says the country’s public health chief Gennady Onishchenko (AFP, 28 November)
“If you are trying to defend the indefensible the first thing you do is to hire a good lawyer.”
Robert May, retiring president of the Royal Society, London, criticising the Bush administration’s position on climate change since appointing former lawyer James Connaughton in 2001 to coordinate its strategy (The Observer, London, 27 November)
