Bair, Bernanke Want Tougher Curbs on Biggest Banks
Yeah, I'm sure.

Major US lender 'on the brink'
Days of talks on a possible last-ditch bail-out between the US government and troubled New York-based CIT Group Inc come to an end.

NYU Professor Roubini Sees Recession Ending In 2009
*eyebrow* That's a reversal. Did the fun times get to him?

Prices up, but down is a bigger threat
Groceries.


US war zone troops 'can smoke'
Mighty white of ya, DoD. Especially given:

Pentagon eyes plan to increase Army by 30,000


Larry Summers cites Google search as progress
No, that's not a joke.


House Democrats muzzle GOP on sensitive issues
In their zeal to protect their members from politically hazardous votes on issues such as gay marriage and gun control, Democrats running the House of Representatives are taking extraordinary steps to muzzle Republicans in this summer's debates on spending bills.

So much for dissent. See also Steyn, below.

Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle Devices
Talk about Orwellian censorship!
BTW, if they can erase books, they can rewrite them as well.


Police: 6 Slain in Tenn., Ala.; Suspect in Custody
:(


An Offer You Can't Refuse - Mark Steyn

Kyl “publicly questioned whether the stimulus is working and stated that he wants to cancel projects that aren’t presently under way,” LaHood wrote Brewer. “If you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to your state, as Senator Kyl suggests, please let me know.”

Why not just break his legs in the Senate parking lot? Kyl "publicly questioned" the stimulus? We can't have that, can we? The "Dissent Is The Highest Form Of Patriotism" bumper sticker was canceled by executive order on January 20th.

Obama to visit Mexico in August
Hey, last time he was there the swine flu craze was just getting under way. Maybe he'll bring us back another new disease!


12 slain in Mexico were federal police officers
Marking a gruesome new setback in the war on drug gangs, Mexican authorities said Tuesday that 12 people found tortured and fatally shot in the western state of Michoacan a night earlier were federal police officers.

Mexico says 'no' to deal with cartels


Troops seize Venezuela police station, 6 injured
CHANGE!

U.S., Colombia work on deal for air bases
The United States and Colombia are poised to sign an agreement to transfer anti-drug flight operations from Ecuador to at least three Colombian air bases, a move that has drawn criticism here that it will leave the country even more dependent on Washington. Although the deal is not yet nailed down, Colombia's defense, interior and foreign ministers held a public forum in Bogota, the capital, on Wednesday to discuss details of the plan.


Brazil demands return of UK waste
Brazilian officials demand that more than 1,400 tonnes of hazardous UK waste found in three ports be returned.
...
Reports in the UK media say the waste was sent from Felixstowe in eastern England to the port of Santos, near Sao Paulo, and two other ports in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

The Brazilian companies that received the waste said they had been expecting recyclable plastic, The Times reported.

I am reminded of the Islip garbage barge.

***

Keeping Pigs and Bees Healthy with a Chip
Biochips for health!

Landslide, floods kills three in northern Turkey

Total Eclipse of the Sun - July 22

Huge blob of Arctic goo floats past Slope communities
They now say it's algae, but no explanation on why nobody recognized it as such.

Glaciers Not Melting As Fast As Once Thought
The world’s glaciers are indeed melting, but a monumental study released Thursday in the journal Science discovered that it might not happen as quickly as once thought.