We have come to expect bungles and mishaps from the Bush Administration. And not just political ones. President Bush has made a habit out of brushes with death from choking on pretzels to crashing on his bike to running into a policeman at Gleneagles last year. Not to be outdone, Vice President Dick Cheney seems to have decided to get into the act. 

With, em, a bang.

Shooting your 78-year-old hunting buddy while quail hunting can, of course, happen to anyone. As it turns out, though, Cheney didn't have a license  -- neither for quail nor for 78-year-olds. But this should come as no surprise to anyone. Cheney's hunting trips have long been cause for finger-wagging among some in the chattering classes. His 2004 duck hunting trip with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia  raised questions about the separation between the executive branch and the judiciary. And a pheasant shooting trip in Dec. 2003 raised animal rights hackles after it was revealed that Cheney and his party annihilated 417 newly-released, cage-raised pheasants  -- in one day. Cheney himself was credited with filling 70 of the birds full of lead himself. But it is unlikely Cheney will stop hunting anytime soon. One hopes though that before he heads off on his next trip, he'll take a look at this handy prey identifier for vice-presidential hunting trips. 

Surfing Berlin's History

Germany's capital is chock-full of Soviet monuments, dark reminders of the Nazi era and memories of its division during the Cold War. There are also happier symbols of Germany's peaceful reunification such as the Brandenburg Gate -- which was the site of much rejoicing after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. But if you don't happen to live in one of Europe's most interesting cities, SPIEGEL ONLINE has discovered an excellent virtual tour of Berlin's sights and history. "Hypermedia Berlin"  was developed as a Web-based course on the cultural history of Berlin at UCLA: "Unlike traditional history courses that are organized chronologically, 'Hypermedia Berlin' is organized according to virtual topographies and space." There are beautiful interactive maps from the years 1237 to 2003. Many have pop-up information and pictures of important locations, people and landmarks. It's a great place for cyber-stroll about town!