News Scraps
By Brandon Bosworth
Of those planning to see Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, 68 percent had decided to vote for John Kerry before seeing the film, according to a poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. ... Moore on efforts to bring in additional nations to help rebuild Iraq: "I oppose the U.N. or anyone else risking the lives of their citizens to extract us from our debacle. I'm sorry, but the majority of Americans supported this war once it began and, sadly, that majority must now sacrifice their children until enough blood has been let that maybe--just maybe--God and the Iraqi people will forgive us in the end."
Iraq is experiencing a real estate boom as Iraqi exiles return to their homeland. A house that cost $15,000 before the U.S.-led liberation now runs for $120,000-150,000.
Iraqi terrorists seized two Kenyans, three Indians, and an Egyptian, threatening to behead them if their respective nations did not immediately withdraw troops from Iraq. Neither Kenya, India, or Egypt have any troops in Iraq.
The federal government has given over $300 million to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for domestic security purposes since 9/11. A General Accounting Office study found that there is no way the impact of this spending can be measured. ... Security personnel at the recent Athens Olympics outnumbered athletes seven to one. The total cost of security at the games exceeded $1.5 billion. The installation of security cameras alone ran $320 million.
Imprisoned terror mastermind sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman complained to prison officials in New York that he does not care for the brand of tea he is served, preferring Tetley or Lipton. The diabetic sheik threatened to eat M&Ms or stop taking insulin if his demand for different tea is not met. He was convicted for his part in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Fifty percent of Americans admire British prime minister Tony Blair more than George W. Bush or the Pope, according to a Harris Poll.
Three quarters of American high-schoolers admit to cheating on tests, according to Rutgers University.
The American Sociological Association reports that in 1960, 65 percent of 30-year-old American men were married with children and fully self-supporting. In 2000, that number had dropped to 31 percent.
Fortune magazine found that the best employers for minorities are McDonald's, Fannie Mae, Sempra Energy, Union Bank of California, and Denny's. The study focused on hiring practices, promotions, and retention. ... College graduates who spend eight hours a day looking for employment take an average of 16 weeks to find a job, according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
Jesse Jackson wrote in the Chicago Sun- Times that, "a conservative Christian is a contradiction in terms .... Jesus was a liberal; Herod was the conservative. Moses was the liberal; Pharaoh was the conservative. Abolitionists were liberals; slave owners were the conservatives. [Nelson] Mandela is a liberal; the South African apartheid leaders were the conservatives. That's why conservative Dick Cheney supported apartheid over Mandela, and approved of keeping Mandela in prison." ... Deborah Solomon of the New York Times Magazine asked William F. Buckley, Jr., "You have made so many offensive comments over the years. Do you regret any of them?" and "You seem indifferent to suffering. Have you ever suffered yourself?"
Seventy-five percent of Americans would want to be told if they smelled bad, discloses the Emily Post Institute. ... Wireless Flash News reveals that 7 percent of Americans claim never to bathe.
An E.U. study found Germans to be the laziest people in Europe, spending seven hours a day on paid work and housework combined.
More than one in five Germans wants to see the return of the Berlin Wall, reports the Forsa Institute.
A mobile, inflatable church is available on eBay. According to the seller's description, the church is filled with "an inflatable organ, altar, pulpit, pews, candles and a gold cross." Starting price is $41,500.
