The federal government's new wariness about offshore drilling in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is dimming what may be the best hope for extending the life of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, a crucial artery supplying one-quarter of the West Coast's oil.

WSJ: Drilling Rules Hit Alaska Pipeline

It's a life goal that non-trans people strive for, too, and we all have different paths to get there.

CNN: Commentary: Chastity, 'Good luck, brother!'

Having updated Lonely Planet's Trans-Siberian Railway guide a couple times, and clocked something like 15 to 20 days of Russian rail time in my life, my first remembrances of the Trans-Siberian rarely consider what is out the window.

BBC: Riding the virtual Trans-Siberian