By the clock of history, maybe a bit late—“In their day, imperial powers like the Ottoman Turks and the British used to manage this unruly region by co-opting the tribes, keeping them occupied with internal rivalries or buying their loyalty with land. Iraq’s newest foreign occupiers are trying the same formula but the ingredients are different, producing inconclusive results.”—New York Times.

Union time—“If you are the sole provider for your family and [cannot] move up the ladder, then maybe it’s not the right place for you.”—Mona Williams, spokesperson for Wal-Mart.

Blair’s Labour gov’t, it cares—“More than half of hospital patients eat so poorly that they become clinically malnourished.”— The Times, London.

How generous—To cope with prison overcrowding in England and Wales, immigrant inmates serving four years or less can win 90 days off if they agree to deportation.

The brass tacks fellas—The Labor Department says it’s trying to repair a statistical quirk that causes regular underestimates of the number of workers filing for jobless benefits. Reuters news agency explains: “The weekly jobless claims figures are closely watched by financial markets as the most timely measure of U.S. employment.”

A truly great society—A district judge upheld the government’s move to shut down a company chain that facilitates people in the U.S. buying less expensive drugs in Canada. Estimates are that up to 2 million people buy the Canadian drugs to escape the savage prices here.  
 
 
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