Noted

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U.S. troops in Iraq are using a new hand-held device to scan the irises of tens of thousands of Iraqi men,so they can build a database of possible insurgents.If the same man is found at the scene of several bombings,U.S. military officials say,"now we've got probable cause to question him."

USA Today

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Sales of the plan B "morning after" contraceptive have doubled since the federal government approved its sale without a prescription.Manufacturer Barr Pharmaceuticals expects Plan B sales to hit $80 million this year--more than 1 million doses of the drug.

The Washington Post

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Green is the most soothing color in the spectrum.

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Seven people were gored in last weeks running of the bulls in Pamplona,Spain--none fatally.Since Pamplona officials began keeping records in 1924,13 people have died after being gored or trampled.

Slate

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more than 220 police departments nationwide now use a scanning device that enables officers to record the license plates of passing or parked cars at a rate of 15 to 25 a second.The plate numbers are then instantly crossed-checked against a datebase of cars being sought in connection with crimes.

Newsday

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Thirty-four percent of adults 18 to 34 get some form of financial assistance from their parents ranging from help with rent or health-care cost,free housing,or tuition payments, according to a recent University of Michigan study.The average parental contribution during this period is $38,340.

The New York Times

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In the first 6-months of 2007,Democratic candidates for the presidncy,the House and the Senate raised $388 million--$101 million more than Republicans.It's the first time since the government began keeping track 30 years ago that Democrats are raising more campaign cash than Republicans.

The Wall Street Journal

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Cyclist competing in the Tour de France consume as many as 9,000 calories a day about four times a normal adult male needs.When pedaling uphill in the mountains,a rider metabolism increases so dramatically that it's similar to that of a bird in flight.

The New York Times

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Of the 400 gallons of water the average family of four uses every day,about one-third go to irrigate lawns and gardens. Americans drench their yards with 7 billion gallons of water every day.

The wall Street journal

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By 2025,25 percent of American drivers will be 65 or older, up from 14 percent in 2001.

New York daily News

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Nationally, only 46 percent of people summoned for jury duty actually show up,and most of them try to get out of serving,a study by the National Center for State Courts found.Everybody likes jurt duty--just not this week," said Patricia Lee Refo of the American Bar Association.

Associated Press

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When subjected to an electric current of at least 50 volts, a cat's tail always points toward the north.

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If the current trend continues, by the year 2215 midgets will outnumber "normal-sized" people.

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Amoug two-income households,one-quarter of wives now earn more than their husbands, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Seattle Post-intelligencer

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In 2001,spam accounted for 5 percent of Internet traffic. Today,it's often 90 percent-a total of 100 billion unsolicited commercial messages every day.

The New Yorker

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Forty-seven percent of dogs in the U.S. sleep in a family member's bed,according to a survey of pet owners.

The New York Times

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Of the more than 2 million refugees who have fled Iraq since the U.S. invasion in 2003,1.5 million have relocated to Syria,while 750,000 are in Jordan.The U.S., citing security concerns,has taken in only 133 Iraqi refugees,but recently announced it would take 7,000 more by the end of September.

Associated Press

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Sixty-one American colleges,among them Trinity,Lafayette,and Holy Cross,are refusing to participate in the next annual U,S, News & World Report survey of America's top colleges, complaining that it is arbitrary and inaccurate. None of the 25 schools that top the list has joined the protest.

Bloomberg

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On May 2, 1865, President Andrew Johnson offered a reward of $100,000 for the capture of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy.

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John F. Kennedy was an accomplished ventriloquist