water fantasies

The U.S. economy grew at a 3.4 percent annual pace from April through June, the ninth straight quarter exceeding 3 percent
http://www.bloomberg.com/

Las Vegas is world-renowned as a city of fantasy, flaunting its reputation for excess...But environmentalists warn water supplies could run dry within the next 50 years
http://news.bbc.co.uk/

A council of Muslim scholars in the United States has issued a religious ruling, or fatwa, against terrorism and extremism.
http://www.voanews.com

orifices

Jobs: So there are 500 men and women in the Fortune 500; CIOs that you have to go through. And we've never been good at that. So if you look at it and realize that Apple's DNA is not great at going through these orifices to get to the end users then it's even worse—
http://www.alwayson-network.com/

Europe is having an identity crisis of epic proportions. Should it preserve its small "s" socialist system or should it make the leap to American-style capitalism, a proven job-creating engine?...The American Dream also focuses heavily on religiosity -- we're the most pious of any of the industrial countries. A majority of Americans have a personal relationship with God that's heartfelt. Ninety percent own a bible...In Europe there may be personal spiritual trips, but each generation has become less and less religious in their orientation.
http://service.spiegel.de/

A new poll has found that Americans are the happiest people on the planet.
"With a few exceptions, Americans are generally happier with their lives and more optimistic about their future than most Europeans," a Harris poll states.
http://washingtontimes.com/

Virtual Smart Folders

When Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari and the man many consider the father of video games, launched his Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant chain, he based it on the idea of mixing food and easy entertainment for preteens. Now he wants to create a playland for twentysomethings.
http://news.com.com/

First views of Windows Vista
The Virtual Folders feature in Windows Vista allows users to view documents that share a specific criterion
http://news.com.com/

I liked Virtual Folders more when they were called Smart Folders
Smart Folders contain documents grouped together based on search criteria that you define instead of their physical location.
http://www.apple.com/

Across Europe, a broad assault by abortion foes
http://www.iht.com/

Texas

The Dallas school students would have rather been anywhere else on a Saturday afternoon. But here they were, exhausted after exercising for hours in the sun and crawling in the mud – the price they paid for missing school.The boot camp is one of three used in Dallas County, and some parents say it goes too far in its get-tough approach to truancy. They have cited degrading treatment at Sequoyah Youth Academy, including children using the restroom outdoors behind trees, doing push-ups in a hot parking lot and vomiting because of harsh conditions.
http://www.dallasnews.com/

Microsoft's Earth deletes Apple HQ
http://www.theregister.com/
http://www.hardmac.com/

Just Say No to Email

Driven to distraction by technology
http://news.com.com/

The Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip have long yearned for the Israelis to abandon their settlements there. But with the withdrawal imminent, many Palestinians fear the region could struggle mightily with the task of rebuilding. And with the enemy gone, they would have only themselves to blame.
http://service.spiegel.de/

400k

Needham & Co. estimates that the "iPod halo" may have attracted up to 400,000 Windows users to the Mac so far this year.
http://www.macworld.co.uk/

QUELLE horreur! France woke up yesterday to the prospect of Danone, the quintessential French dairy company, falling under American ownership.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/

Liberals and Conservatives sick of the Supreme Court

In the Kelo case, the high court ruled that government officials could seize private property and give the land to private developers to build an office complex, a health club and a hotel...The ruling has united a broad cross section of activists -- from conservatives to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -- outraged by the decision.
http://washingtontimes.com

top hats and monocles

"I think that they should sell war bonds" said a caller from McKeesport, Pa. to the radio program I host. "Why?" I asked. "Because, then this war would be paid for by you rich Republicans."
http://www.techcentralstation.com/

Michael Lefenfeld and James Dye of Signa Chemistry wanted to make rooms smell better. Instead, they stumbled on a way that could make hydrogen fuel cells a practical reality.
http://news.com.com/

A group of French speakers in Japan are suing the governor of Tokyo after he described French as a failed language.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/

Being broke can enrich your life. Or at least that's what Alexander von Schoenburg maintains in his bestselling book. As Germans say goodbye to their BMWs and bid farewell to the twice-yearly trip to Majorca, could this be the beginning of a shift in values in German society?
http://service.spiegel.de/

Rove Rage

ROVE RAGE: HE'S NOT THE VILLAIN
http://news.yahoo.com/

These are your teachers?
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/

Pissing money down a Middle-East toilet

Israel, which has traditionally been the largest recipient of U.S. assistance, is seeking an additional $2 billion or more...Combined U.S. military and economic assistance to Israel has reached $100 billion since Israel's founding in 1948, ...The Palestinians, who have suffered an economic meltdown during the past five years of violence, are getting roughly $1 billion a year
http://www.iht.com/

IBM is teaming up with CenterPoint Energy to test technology that could turn power lines into a high-speed network capable of delivering Internet access to consumers and providing real-time monitoring of the power grid
http://news.com.com

Afghan villagers sheltered a U.S. Navy SEAL wounded in a battle last month with the Taliban until they could get word to American forces to rescue him
http://www.cnn.com/

Do you know Nancy Pelosi? Her job is leading the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives. They should have asked for references. Here's her reaction to the Supreme Court's recent decision on "eminent domain": "It is a decision of the Supreme Court," said the minority leader. "So this is almost as if God has spoken."
http://www.suntimes.com/

Mayor Ken Livingston - working class brit

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the blasts that ripped through his city were "mass murder" carried out by terrorists bent on "indiscriminate ... slaughter." "This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty or the powerful ... it was aimed at ordinary working-class Londoners," said Livingstone, in Singapore where he supported London's Olympic bid.
http://news.yahoo.com

Polygamy

http://suppressednews.com/

our "teachers"

LOS ANGELES - The typical starting salary for teachers should be $40,000, the head of the country's largest education union said Sunday, pledging a renewed fight for higher pay..."The issue is where the money is going to come from," Weaver said. "And to respond to that, my answer is I don't care. I don't care where the money comes from.
http://news.yahoo.com/

School boards and superintendents increasingly are pursuing dress codes for teachers. At issue is the same kind of questionable attire most often associated with students.
http://news.yahoo.com/

The man alleged to be the leader of Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia, Younus Mohamed Al-Hayari, was shot dead by security forces in Riyadh yesterday.
http://www.arabnews.com/

The terror-immigration connection. Illegal immigrants from nations with terror ties channeled to U.S.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

American troops on the Syrian border are enjoying a battle they have long waited to see - a clash between foreign al-Qa'eda fighters and Iraqi insurgents.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

CA's use of the Death Penalty

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge said Thursday that he would seize control of prison healthcare from the state and place it under a receiver, declaring that "extreme measures" were needed to fix a system that kills one inmate each week through medical incompetence or neglect.
http://www.latimes.com/

US Congress opposes Chinese bid for Unocal...The resolution said oil and gas are "strategic assets" and that a Chinese state-run firm's takeover "would threaten to impair the national security of the United States."
http://www.rte.ie/

WASHINGTON - The National Park Service has been out buying video footage of conservative rallies as it struggles to respond to a new civil war over a historical film shown at the Lincoln Memorial.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/