Don Deane

Trampolines in theory seem like a heckuva lot of fun. Given that they’re typically made of fabric pulled tight by an array of coiled springs, what could possibly go wrong? Quite a bit, it turns out.

After an eight month journey, NASA’s multi-billion dollar rover Curiosity made a successful landing on Mars early this morning. Mission controllers cheered after the six-wheeled, one-ton machine made a perilous seven-minute landing involving a parachute, rocket pack and sky crane.

If there’s one thing we’ve always taken for granted regarding the Olympics, it’s that gold medals are actually made out of gold. So imagine our surprise when we learned that this year’s first place medals are mostly silver.

Early Monday morning, NASA’s $2.5 billion Curiosity rover safely landed on Mars after eight months of interplanetary travel. The car-sized, one-ton rover now begins a two-year mission of exploration and discovery as it roams the surface of the red planet.

Last Sunday, Chinese diver Wu Minxia took home gold in the 3m synchronized springboard and became the first woman in history to win three consecutive Olympic golds. But her remarkable accomplishment was marred somewhat when it was revealed that her family intentionally hid devastating secrets as she pursued her career.

Given that his city is currently hosting the Olympics, London mayor Boris Johnson is riding high … literally. On Wednesday, the eccentric public official rode a zip line in Victoria Park to promote the summer games. There’s just one problem — he got stuck. No, this isn’t an episode of ‘The Benny Hill Show.’ This is for real.

While some may prefer the relative quiet of working the late shift, a new study says that after-hours work may be bad for your health. In fact, the study says, working the graveyard shift may actually give you a heart attack or stroke.

On Tuesday, pilot Mark Simmons was towing a marriage proposal behind his small plane when he suddenly experienced engine problems and crashed off Rhode Island’s Block Island. Uh oh! We hope this isn’t a bad wedding omen.

In a move that will probably delight and disgust convenience store shoppers at the same time, 7-11 has begun offering mashed potatoes and gravy via a vending machine. Alas, the machines aren’t available here in the US yet. As strange as it sounds, we’d probably be first on line if they were.

Last night, two dogs got married in what the Guinness Book of World Records said was the world’s most expensive pet wedding at more than $150,000. It’s good to see that, in the midst of a recession, people are spending their money wisely.

So far we’ve learned that animals love Adele and that her music may even have magical healing properties. Now, five-year-old Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who plays Lily on ‘Modern Family,’ gets in on the Adele craze by singing ‘Someone Like You’ from the backseat of her mother’s car.

As any animal lover knows, dogs are capable of feeling intense joy. (If cats feel it, by contrast, they sure don’t seem to show it.) As proof, check out this video of an Irish Terrier that literally leaps for joy after it finds its owner hiding nearby.