HBO’s Best of the Local Blogs — 8/8/07

Family Phil/A Family Runs Through It

A completely accurate map of the United States, created with small beach pebbles by an autistic teenager at Camp Sweyolakan, Lake Coeur d’Alene, writes Family Phil.

* Silver Valley Girl /Silver Valley Stories has a right to be proud of youngest daughter Cosette, who’s one of 18 students selected to a panel to ask questions of the Endeavor astronauts here . Meanwhile, Marianne Love recalls applying for the Teacher in Space program here .

* OrangeTV /Making Flippy Floppy was merely trying to pull his kitten away from the fish tank, but he wound up experiencing a “computer replacement episode” when naughty kitty hooked onto the tank here .

* Jen /A Butterfly Moment gives the new motion picture version of “Hairspray” an A-plus in a review and monster props to the new Tracy Turnblad and her “mother” Edna here .

*Torture by any other name is still torture, sez Mari /Dogwalk Musings who’s trying to figure out from a sixtysomething’s perspective why torture has re-emerged as a topic here .

*Who needs Big Brother from “1984” looking over your shoulder, wonders Cis /From A Simple Mind, when anyone with a camera or cell phone or online could be checking up on you here .

Blog Numbers (for Tuesday, Aug. 7): 7395 page-views and 4079 unique views.

Meanwhile, MamaJD experiences new era of Mommydom here , huckleberries are selling for $49.95 per gallon this year, according to OnLocation North Idaho here , BrodH20 reports on her rough time in Boston here , JeanC’s Cat House takes a high school survey here , and Tumblewords gives copyright tips here .