Chicago Tribune | Philip Morris law firms, supporters backed judge: "Lawyers for Philip Morris USA contributed $16,800 to help elect a judge who cast a deciding vote in Thursday's Illinois Supreme Court decision favoring the tobacco giant.

The judge also received $1.2 million in campaign money from a group that filed an amicus brief supporting the cigarette-maker."

Los Angeles Times: 1 in 20 Americans Is Not Literate, a National Survey Suggests: "When adults with higher-education degrees were asked to compare the viewpoints in two newspaper editorials, for example, or interpret a table about blood pressure, less than half could do it successfully. "

Dingell's HOLIDAY Jingle for O'Reilly and House GOP (12-14-05)

The Daytona Beach News-Journal Tests show some Diebold voting machines used in Florida and elsewhere around the nation can be hacked by election office insiders to change results

How safe is tuna? - OrlandoSentinel.com: Nation/World: "When the Food and Drug Administration updated its mercury warning last year, it arbitrarily classified canned light tuna as low in mercury to 'keep market share at a reasonable level,' one agency official told an FDA advisory panel, according to transcripts of the meeting."

Cigarette Maker Pours It On Strong in Promo - Los Angeles Times: "the coasters are part of a grass-roots marketing campaign to associate Camel cigarettes with trendy cocktails — and encourage young people to drink.....'I think if you ask anybody my age, most of those who don't smoke will still smoke a cigarette if they are drinking. I think it's pretty common.'"

Staff Opinions Banned In Voting Rights Cases: "Political appointees overruled staff findings in both cases."

The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Columns: Every composer of conservative fund-raising letters, every virtuecrat, professional moralist, Fox News gas bag, cable-TV finger-wagger and AM-radio common scold has discovered something they call 'the war on Christmas."