How much is prison labor wage?—Next year, Arkansas state prison inmates will have to pay $3 each time they request medical care. The fee is intended to discourage frivolous medical complaints.—Associated Press.

Marvel of free enterprise—Combining tourism and health care, a ferry running between Seattle and British Columbia, Canada, has drawn hundreds of passengers for a round trip and a Canadian flu shot. Round trip, $105.

Next, rent-a-chair on assembly lines?—High up in New York’s Empire State Building, stressed-out professionals can take a 20-minute “power nap” in plush napping chairs. And, in the Big Apple, the $14 nap fee seems almost reasonable.

How shrewd—The United Kingdom’s prime minister, Anthony Blair, is crafting planks for a program aimed at winning a third term in office. Meanwhile, the chairperson of the pensions commission advised that nearly 12 million people aren’t saving enough for their old age. He added that in three decades, pensions would be slashed 30 percent unless people saved more money and worked longer. All of this, government ministers said, would be laid out after the general election.

Backward march!—“Workers may get right to stay after 65”— Headline, The Times. London.

Why so many people love imperialism—“U.S. Territory: U.S. Virgin Islands—More than 3,000 U.S. Virgin Islanders are suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture for allegedly unfairly [?] denying them agricultural loans. The $2.8 billion law suit claims the government either failed to provide them with application forms or refused to give them information needed to properly fill them out, said Douglas Inman, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs.”—USA Today.  
 
 
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