Sounds sensible-- According to a United Kingdom poll, 63 percent of the public sees national health care as their most prized asset, despite heavy-duty faults--a shoestring budget, rationing of care and long waiting lists. Parliament won approval from 12 percent, the police, 11 percent. Trailing the list with 3 percent was the royal family.

Israeli women can now wail all--"JERUSALEM--In a groundbreaking decision, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that women may read aloud from the Torah at the Western [Wailing] Wall,' Judaism's holiest site."--Associated Press.

The holy institution-- Rome officials may reject a permit request for an international Gay Pride demonstration in July. The Vatican objected to issuing the permit, declaring it might "offend sensitivities" at a time when the city is packed with pilgrims for the Holy Year.

Maybe crime's addictive?-- Philip Morris, the world's biggest peddler of coffin nails, has been taken into a U.S. federal court by 22 Colombian provinces and the capital city of Bogota. They accuse the company of cheating them out of tax revenues, big-time. They charge cigarette smuggling, cooperating with drug dealers, and money laundering.

P.S.-- Lorillard and Brown & Williamson have jumped ship, conceding that maybe tobacco is a health hazard among the Merchants of Death. Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds are now left as the lone, hard-nosed holdouts on the issue.

Can you top this one?-- In England, Malcolm Edge, a jobless architect, was convicted of working without pay while drawing unemployment benefits. Edge explained he had worked on an idea that might lead to a future job. The judge said he appreciated Edge's attitude but that he would have fared better "sitting on his backside and watching television all day." Edge was sentenced to 200 hours of community labor.

Neither have we-- With apologies to any of our readers with a suit fetish, we found another interesting item in the article we cited earlier on the "frugal rich." The fact is, the authors report, most millionaires are relatively frugal. For instance, few have paid more than $1,000 for a suit.

Surprise of the week-- According to Associated Press, an increase in the inspection of processed meats has brought a rise in the recalls of contaminated products.

Patience can be a virtue-- We're gratified by the flow of clippings we're receiving, and doing our best to work through the backlog. So, if you're wondering about the great item(s) you sent, please bear with us--and continue sending clippings.  
 
 
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