Wordpress : Strore Query for reuse

wp-strore-query-for-reuse.php

<!-- saving the query -->
<?php $temp_query = clone $wp_query; ?>

	<!-- listing out featured articles -->
	<?php query_posts('category_name=featured&showposts=3'); ?>

	<?php while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>
  		<!-- Do special_cat stuff... -->
	<?php endwhile; ?>

<!-- restoring the query so it can be later used to display our posts -->
<?php $wp_query = clone $temp_query; ?>