"How smart are you?"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4246472.stm

...I got 17/20.

>>	Junior Field Reporter 08/07/05(Sat)21:09 No.7298   File: 1215317372643.jpg -(34519 B, 417x235) Thumbnail displayed, click image for full size. blah 19/20 damn accommodation with 2 c's

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Junior Field Reporter 08/07/06(Sun)21:31 No.7310   File: 1215405100200.png -(54216 B, 723x404) Thumbnail displayed, click image for full size. 20/20. But I had to really think on "taciturn" because I haven't heard that word since high school. In agreement with others that this isn't the best quiz of English smarts. A well-read talented college student might score lower on this quiz than a 6th grader. The truth is, spelling, grammar, and punctuation are like the driving speed limit: nobody cares if you break it a little; it's only when you break it by a lot that the police chase after you.

"OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's U.S. embassy apologized on Thursday for a party invitation that featured a prominent figure in Canadian history brandishing a large plate of French fries covered in cheese curds and gravy.

The dish -- known as poutine -- is often looked down on as a kind of staple fast food in the French-speaking province of Quebec, where some nationalists are quick to take offense at what they see as unfair treatment by the country's English-speaking majority."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080703/od_nm/odd_poutine_dc

"An expiring 17-year-old strategic arms agreement between Russia and the United States could be renewed by the end of the year, a Russian official said Sunday.

But, warned government spokesman Sergei Prikhodko on the eve of the Group of Eight summit in Japan, there has been little evidence the administration of U.S. President George Bush is moving toward renewing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, RIA Novosti reported."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/07/06/Russia_urges_US_to_renew_arms_treaty/UPI-65271215350521/

"Graphic fact file on the iPhone 3G. The updated and cheaper version of the iPhone is set to be released in cities from Tokyo to Sydney on July 11, 2008" [yahoo photos]

"The government on Saturday increased the number of people reported being sickened in a record salmonella outbreak in which tomatoes are the leading suspect although investigators are testing other types of fresh produce.

There have been 943 reported cases nationwide, with at least 130 hospitalizations since mid-April after the first salmonella illnesses appeared, the Food and Drug Administration said Saturday. That compares with a total of 922 people about two days ago and 869 reported earlier in the past week.

The FDA also said it had begun looking at jalapeno peppers as a possible cause of the outbreak, as well as ingredients used to make salsa such as cilantro and Serrano peppers."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080706/ap_on_go_ot/tomatoes_salmonella

"Denmark is the happiest country in the world, according to the latest World Values Survey published by the United States National Science Foundation.

The annual study surveyed people in 97 countries to discover who is happiest.

The survey asked people two simple questions about their happiness and their level of satisfaction with life.

Puerto Rico and Colombia completed the top three happiest nations. Zimbabwe was found to be the least happy, with Russia and Iraq also in the bottom 10."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7487143.stm

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2324210,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532

"From its Texas Rangers to its enthusiastic take on the death penalty, the Lone Star State has long been known for its aggressive stance on law enforcement. Thanks to a strange new law, it's a sting that may soon be felt by a number of the state's computer-repair people."

"A recently passed law requires that Texas computer-repair technicians have a private-investigator license, according to a story posted by a Dallas-Fort Worth CW affiliate."

"Starting Monday, health inspectors will halt the shipment of ingredients common to Mexican cuisine from Mexico to the United States, sources familiar with the salmonella poisoning investigation said.

The inquiry, which initially focused solely on tomatoes, has expanded to include cilantro, jalapeño peppers, Serrano peppers, scallions and bulb onions, said Tommy Thompson, former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, who said he has been informed of the plan."

""Where's the contaminated product?" asked Carl Nielsen. "How would you know? And where along the supply chain did it happen? Was it at the retail level? Is somebody doing something to expose the product at the retailer? Is it at the wholesale? Is it at the grower? Is it at the processor? Is it in transport? Where is it? They don't know.""

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/07/04/salmonella.outbreak/

"The US has agreed to scrap immunity for foreign security guards in Iraq, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says.

The US embassy in Baghdad has not confirmed the announcement, which comes as the US and Iraq are negotiating a controversial security pact.

Foreign firms employing thousands of guards won huge contracts in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion, but were not subject to Iraqi or US military law.

Iraqi frustration became fury last year when guards killed 17 people in a day.

Correspondents say a deal on scrapping contractors' immunity brings the two countries closer to signing the long-term security pact. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7484969.stm

"The Bee Gees' Robin Gibb and other European music composers warned Thursday that standardizing music royalties across Europe could hurt musicians and the songs they write.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is close to finishing an antitrust investigation into how royalties are collected. The outcome might help large music retailers like Apple Inc.'s iTunes sell from one store across Europe, rather than different stores with different products in each of the 27 EU nations."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080703/ap_on_hi_te/eu_online_music