billso.com

USA: Yahoo! News - Bush Looks for Edge From Iraq Handover: A whole two days ahead of schedule. Seems overly optimistic to me. “‘When Iraq was going reasonably well at the beginning of the year, Bush’s approval ratings were somewhere between 50 and 60 percent. That’s in the comfort zone,’ said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center. ‘Now they’re in the 40s. That’s in the questionable zone.’ Indeed, Iraq could be the deciding factor in what is expected to be a close race, according to a variety of pollsters and political analysts. ‘If Iraq improves, it will greatly improve Bush’s chances of winning,’ Kohut said. ‘If it stays bad or gets worse, it will truly imperil his re-election.’ ”

USA: High Court Deals Blow to Bush’s War on Terror | Reuters.com: “In one ruling, the court said the nearly 600 foreign terror suspects held for two years at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba could turn to American courts to challenge their confinement. In another ruling, it said an American terror suspect held in his nation is entitled to a chance to contest the government’s decision.”

Europe: Eurobad ‘74. Europe’s worst interior designs. Thanks, Boing Boing.

USA: Yahoo! News - Students Worry Handwriting to Affect SAT: Her first pencil-and-paper pop quiz in college will be quite a shock to Carol. So will that first pen computer. Sloppy handwriting is doesn’t help her cause at all. “‘As an adult in today’s work world, you don’t write anything,’ said Carol Maoz, head of the upper school (grades 7-9), adding she couldn’t think of an occasion students would write out a longhand essay. ‘You type everything. There really is no need for proper handwriting.’ ”

Sports: Rays Lose Game, Keep Perspective - from Tampa Bay Online: Way to go, Tampa. Even so, the Trop is a flop. They can put the new stadium next to RayJay, like the original plan in the late ’80s! “A crowd of 23,442 pushed the three-day total for the series to 76,960, a number that included more than 20,000 walk-ups during the weekend. After winning 15 of 16 before Sunday, excitement abounds. Piniella hopes it stays, especially for these next four “important” games against Toronto. “The turnout’s been great,” he said. “It just shows if you play good baseball, it creates interest and people will come out. ”