Miscellaneous

> Russians, whose lives are shorter and poorer than they were under communism, have more abortions than births to avoid the costs of raising children, according to the country's highest-ranking obstetrician. > About 1.6 million women had an abortion last year, a fifth of them under

Starbucks has a pro-homosexual agenda. Who woulda thunkit? A coffee house that's pro-gay? Wow. > The world's most famous coffee shop chain has begun a program called “The Way I See It,” which is a collection of thoughts, opinions and expressions provided by notable

How do you merit one of these? Gay merit badges. Link [http://www.gaymeritbadges.com/].

We've said before that art comes in all sizes and types. When it comes to crafts, making things with ones' own hands, we're hopelessly inept, yet we respect the efforts. Here's a book for those who do what we can't. Link

> An unusual and noisy mystery has people in a small town north of Middletown on edge, worried and asking questions, News 5's Brian Hamrick reported. > Liberty, Ohio, is a quiet little community, except for one thing -- the scream. . . > With a sensitive microphone and some special

Tough questions can lead to tough responses. > A library in Holland is lending out people, as well as books, in a new initiative aimed at challenging stereotypes. > People can borrow gay people, gipsies and Muslims for an hour and talk to them about their lives, reports Nu.nl.

The real movement to bring down Wally World has begun: > A global coalition of unions is launching an unprecedented campaign to organize workers around the world at US retail giant Wal-Mart, seeking to bring a new level of globalization to the labor movement. > The Wal-Mart campaign

It's because of McDonald's. They're taking up all the green space with their drive-throughs and spray painting "Eat 3 Big Macs" on all the park benches. Link [http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/08/19/hscout527496.html] . Excerpt:

Ah, the blessed weekend. It's the last blast for the Scheske kids before school starts on Monday. To celebrate the end of the summer, we took the kids swimming and out to dinner last night. We then came back and watched the movie, Tremors. Eric bought the VHS

> If a group of prominent ecologists have their way, lions and elephants could someday be roaming the Great Plains of North America. > The idea of transplanting African wildlife to this continent is being greeted with gasps and groans from other scientists and conservationists who recall previous efforts to