Noted

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Since the Taliban fell, Afghans have taken to making-and watching-television soap operas,talk shows,and cooking programs.Only 7 percent of Afghan homes have flushing toilets,but 19 percent now have a TV.

The New York Yimes

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New IRS rules that demand documentation for charitable contributions under $250 have prompted churches to take donations through credit cards and automatic checking accounts withdrawls. Some churches have even installed ATM like Kiosks where the faithful can swipe a card and get a receipt.

[noreply66]

Prostitution in China is booming,as young people move to the cities,abandon traditional values,and seek enough income to send money to their parents back home. estimates of the number of prostittutes range from 1 million to 10 million.

The Washington Pos

[BubbleGumTiger]

Customs officials have dogs that are trained to distinguish between Cuban cigars and all other cigars.

[noreply66]

The number of U.S. citizens who moved to Canada last year hit a 30-year high of 10,942,almost double the number who moved there in 2000. The last time more than 10,000 Americans moved to Canada was in the early 1970s,at the height of the draft-dodging movement.


ABCnews

[BubbleGumTiger]

The earth is in an elliptical orbit around the sun........the moon is in an elliptical orbit around the earth........

[noreply66]

More than 25 percent of all bottled water comes from municpal sources.

Los Angeles Times

[BubbleGumTiger]

Glamorous movie star Brad Pitt once had a summer job posting warning signs at coal mine entrances.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Twelve pounds of nitrogen per acre falls on the earth each year as a result of lightning.

[noreply66]

Some 56 percent of teenagers with online profiles say their posting contain at least some false information,a Pew survey found.Of those, 8 percent said their profilies were "mostly or entirely false."

The New York Times Magizine

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Contrary to their popular image as spinsters, the average librarian has 5.9 random sex partners per year.

[noreply66]

Average life expectancy in the U.S.--77.9 years-now ranks 42nd in the world,down from 11th 20 years ago,the federal government reported. Higher ranking countries include Japan,most of Europe, Jordan,Guam, and the Cayman Islands.

Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Every year,American throw away 100 billion plastic bags,most of which are made from petroleum.That's the equivalent of dumping almost 12 million barrells of oil.

Salon

[BubbleGumTiger]

The sound made when a duck passes gas is the precise acoustic opposite of its quack; if it does both simultaneously, there's no audible sound.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Smearing a small amount of dog feces on an insect bite will relieve the itching and swelling.

[noreply66]

The E-ZPass electronic toll-collection system, operating in 12 states in the Northeast and Midwest,is being used by divorce lawyers to prove that spouses lied about their whereabouts. "It's an easy way to show you took the off-ramp to adultery,: says divorce lawyer Jacalyn Barnett.

Associated Press

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Whites are now the minority in one in 10 U.S. counties,a new Census Bureau report shows.Many of the nations most populated counties have long had large minority populations,but in recent years,that diversity has been spreading to suburban and rural counties.

Forbes

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In 2006, 99 Army soldiers committed suicide--the highest total in the 26-years the military has kept track.Army officials blamed the strain of long tours of duty aboard,which can lead to broken marriages and relationships. "very often a young soldier gets a 'Dear John' or 'Dear Jane' letter and shoots himself," an Army official said.

Associated Press

[noreply66]

Football fans disgusted by the dogfighting charges against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick have donated dozens of Vicks replica jerseys to the Atlanta Humane Society.The society uses them to clean kennels and mop up waste.

WSB-TV

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Boating accidents are on the rise across the country,as "captains" with more money than skill take the helm of powerful motorboats. In 2006,70 percent of the 710 boaters killed were on vessels whose captains had no formal training.

The Boston Globe