Let's see what's in Google News today:

  -     Exxon is bitching that their second quarter profit was lower than expected – at 11.68 billion. Ahhh . . . Tough to feel sorry for them, isn’t it? They’re complaining that their production has slowed down. With gas prices so high, are they really surprised that we’re driving less? They need to get out of their boardrooms more often . . .

   -    Obama is saying that McCain’s ads show he has no new ideas, and McCain is accusing Obama of playing the Race Card . . . Politics as usual.

   -    “Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly overnight to call tobacco a drug and subject it to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration.” Oh, that’s a good idea – NOT! Apparently (According to the NYT) they can’t ban nicotine or cigarettes completely, but they abolished all flavored cigarettes (except menthol, but only for the time being) and can reduce the amount of nicotine or regulate the additives used in the products. We’re going to get these huge ugly pictures of diseased body parts on the packs, manufacturers will be required to disclose their ingredients, and outdoor advertisements will only be in black and white to discourage drawing attention of younger audiences.
     Now, in case you can’t tell, I smoke – and menthols, too, at that. This might not go through – it still has to pass the Senate – but I have to ask. How stupid do they think we are, anyway? Yes, it’s bad for us; we’ve known that since the 60s. I refer you to Denis Leary’s rant in No Cure for Cancer about the big warning labels. And I agree with the people who say this is just another indication of Big Brother babysitting the lesser peoples. That’s us who aren’t rich old white men in the government, by the way. But I’ll get off my soapbox on this one.

   -    JK Rowling is finally going to release her Fairy Tales! For those of you who missed it, JK actually wrote down the tales that comprise a book (The Tales of Beadle the Bard) that Dumbledore gave Hermione. Last year JK made seven copies and auctioned one off for charity. It’ll come out in December for 12.95; or if you want one that looks like one of the originals, Amazon will gladly sell it to you for a mere $100. I don’t know if I’m that big a fan . . . but I’ll be looking at the cheaper version. After all, it’s the words that matter, right? That charity’s going to make a mint . . .

   -    The health industry is throwing around hints about “exercise in a pill” again, both announcing drugs that help and warning that it’s not that easy. From the Health Journal “DUH!”

   -    And my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the seven who died in the Minnesota plane crash.

Well, so much for my keyboard workout. Hope it was at least worth reading . . .

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