Jewcy Zeitgeist: National Parks Welcoming Everyone, Pirates, and Final Farewell to John Hughes

Here are today’s top stories in no particular order:

• A ship that disappeared from the English channel two weeks ago has been spotted heading toward the Atlantic. Maritime officials are still of the belief that it’s been hijacked.

• If you’ve always wanted to visit a nearby national park and never made it, now’s you’re chance! National parks across the country are waiving their entrance fees for the weekend.

• Two embedded AP journalists have been wounded in a bombing in southern Afghanistan. Both were badly injured but expected to survive; one of them lost a foot.

• Paula Abdul is finally gone from American Idol, but it looks like the Idol enterprise isn’t done with her yet. In fact, in what seems to be the trend with all of those reality talent shows, she may just be shipped halfway across the world. To Australian Idol. Can we get a cute new Australian judge in her place? I vote for Darren Hayes of Savage Garden fame.

• Sonia Sotomayor has (finally) been welcomed to the U.S. Supreme Court. President Obama took the opportunity to share a sappy moment, saying, "No dream is beyond reach in the United States of America."

• John Hughes was laid to rest yesterday in a low-profile service that was attended by Michael Broderick, Vince Vaughn, Ben Stein, Molly Ringwald, and others. [Editor’s note: Did anyone play the premarital sax?]