Thursday Links

Another hot and humid one here.

US healthcare costs more, delivers less: study

US 'to open Iran base in weeks'

Ariz. Sheriff Accused Of Racial Profiling

CNN: Obama, indeed, is making a red state play
Critics sneered when Barack Obama vowed to challenge John McCain in states that traditionally have been Republican strongholds. But a review of early television advertising spending shows that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is making robust buys in a handful of “red states.”

Hippie town's homeless attack portends trend

Veteran rockers set for windfall

Alaska rate of birth defects far outpaces national average

Washington Post: Administration Wanted Loyalist As Justice Dept. Legal Adviser
Then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft offered the White House a list of five candidates to lead the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel in early 2003, but top administration officials summarily rejected them in favor of installing a loyalist who would provide the legal footing needed to continue coercive interrogation techniques and broadly interpret executive power, according to two former administration officials.

Another new fact: Birds, like people, have accents

Welcome to one of the most dangerous places on earth: Iraq launches itself as the hot, new holiday destination

'Surreal' revelations told about pufferfish toxin suspect

Washington Post: Census Won't Count Gay Marriages
Diane Curtis and Ellen Leuchs tied the knot in May 2004, less than a week after Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage and a decade after beginning their life as a couple.