Noted

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Chinese children are, on average,2.3 inches and 6.6 pounds heavier than they were 30 years age,according to a survey of 138,000 children. Officials attributed the increases to more food and better nutrition as China has become more prosperous.

Xinhua news agency

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The most requested document from the National Archives is the photo of Elvis Presley shaking hands with a stiffly smiling President Richard Nixon."The two of them together somehow is almost incomprehensible,"
says Bud Krogh,Nixon's former deputy councel.During their 1970 meeting in the Oval Office,Nixon agreed to make Presley--a drug addict---an honorary deputy of the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics.

Associated Press

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New York City had no measurable snowfall last month--the city's first snowless December since 1877,the National Weather Service said.Warsaw,Budapest,Berlin,Vienna,and Stockholm also had virtually no snow in Decemeber,

The New York Times

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Though the U.S. devotes only 0.2 percent of its farmland to food grown without pestricdes,Americans eat 42 percent of the world supply of organic foods.

Wired

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For the first time,a majority of American women are living without a husband.In 2005,51 percent of women did not live with a spouse,up from 35 percent in 1950.Several factors are driving the trend;Women are marring later,living with men out of wedlock,or choosing not to remarry.

The New York Times

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Ornamental elephants within your home are bad luck unless they face the door.

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Violin-making,which for centuries was centered in Germany,France,and Italy,is now dominated by Chinese manufacturers.One Chinese town alone,Xiqiao,is home to 40 violin companies.

Los Angeles Times

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Now that they're in the minority,droves of Republican House members are breaking party discipline and voting for legislation sponsored by Democrats. The Democrats' minumum-wage increase drew 82 Republican votes and their homeland security bill,68. "You're freer to vote your conscience," said Rep.Jo Ann Emerson (R- Mo.)

The Washington Post.

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Chicago leads the nation in binge drinking,with 25.7 percent of Chicagoans 12 and older downing five or more drinks in a single sitting at least once a week,a new federal health study found.Houston and Boston were close behind.

Chicago Sun-Times

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Male drivers have a 77 percent higher risk of dying in a car accident than female drivers,according to a comprehensive new report by the American Automoble Association. Researchers say men take more risks,speed more,and are more likely than women to drink and drive.

Associated Press

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U.S. homeland security officials say they responed to terrorism hoaxes virtually every single day.The False threats--such as claims that bombs have been planted aboard cruise ships or in football stadiums--cost millions of dollars in wasted resources,and distract officials from pursuing real threats.

USA Today

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The Irag war's 500th amputee was airlifted back to the U.S. last week.Of the 22,700 U.S. soldiers wounded in the war, 2.2 percent have lost one or more limbs.

Time

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For a price,anyone in Germany can name a storm or weather system.The fee to name a high-pressure system is $385;more common low-pressure systems cost $256,payable to the German Weather Service

The New York Times

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The Vatican,a sovereign jurisdiction with its own laws and police,has the highest per capita crime rate in the world. In 2006,Vatican City,with a population of just 492,had nearly 1,000 crimes--mostly pick-pocketing,purse snatching,and fruad.That's a crime rate of about 1.5 crimes per resident.

Del Spiegel

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About 220 of the 300 humanitarian relief organizations that once operated in Iraq have pulled out because of the extreme danger to their workers.At least 82 Iraqi and international relief workers have been killed since 2003.while 80 have been kidnapped and 245 wounded.

USA Today

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The gay population of Nebraska jumped 71% between 2000 and 2005,to a total of 43,000, according to a new analysis of Gensus Bureau figures.In Kansas,the number of people who said they were gay rose 68%,and in Iowa,the increase was 58% Gays are not flocking to rural states,demographers say;rather ,those already there are more willing to acknowledge their sexuallity.

The Atlantic Monthly

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Time is taking its toll on the once-Herculean body of Arnold Schwarzeneger,who will soon turn 60. The former Mr. Universe has an artificial hip,reconstructed heart valves,a surgically repared shoulder,and a badly broken femur from a sking accident which has left the California governor walking on crutches.In rueful frustration,he has taken to calling hinself a bionic man.

Los Angeles Times

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The Irag war has generated a rich assortment of battlefield slang.Among the trems now bandied about by soldiers are Ali Baba--enemy forces, Mookie---Shiite leader Muqtada al -Sadr, Christians in Action--the Central Intelligence Agency,and Groundhog Day--everyday of a soldiers tour in Irag.

Los Angeles Times

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'Bonded whiskey' is straight whiskey of 100 proof, and must be at least four years old.

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Marietta was Ohio's first permanent settlement. Founded in 1788 by General Rufus Putnam and named in honor of Marie Antoinette, then queen of France.