Down and out

Over the weekend, tiny Russian submarines dove to the bottom of the Arctic ocean. They planted a flag in the seabed at the North Pole, claiming sovereignty over the entire polar region. The United States immediately objected, claiming that a single flag is insufficient to establish ownership. To make it official, you need to drop off some smallpox-infested blankets. Meanwhile, it turns out Mars is in opposition and its elliptical orbit has brought it closer to Earth than at any time since September 12, 57,617 BC. Has it really been 59,000 years? My goodness, where does the time go?