Etc...

Now, if it were orange juice

Perhaps you remember a story about Biggs, Calif., the small town that was considering whether to accept the state Milk Processors Board offer to change its name to Got Milk? for a "meaningful contribution" to the school system. Well, the question won't even make it to next week's meeting of the town council as planned. The indignation of residents was so immediate - and strong - that Biggs's leaders called the board and said "no thanks."

The walled compound in Sydney, Australia, looked to a group of breaking-and-entering suspects like the perfect place to hide from pursuing police late Monday night. So two of them scaled the wall. Bad move. Their chosen hideout was the heavily guarded complex that houses the prime minister and governor-general. The intrusion set off alarms, not to mention snarling dogs. The invaders were arrested. Prime Minister John Howard wasn't home, his aides said.

'They've gone so far underground that the only way they can be found is through defectors.'

- Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, describing for a meeting of business leaders how Iraq is hiding its banned weaponry.

Only four of the 50 states mustered a turnout of at least half of all voting-age citizens in last week's midterm election, according to statistics compiled by the nonpartisan, Washington-based Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. The leaders: Minnesota and South Dakota, both of which had high-profile US Senate races. But Florida, which had perhaps the most closely watched gubernatorial contest, finished in a tie for 17th place, with 42.9 percent of eligible voters going to the polls. The top 10 states and their percentages:

1. Minnesota 61.4%
2. South Dakota 61.3
3. Maine 50.1
4. Vermont 50.0
5. North Dakota 49.8
6. Montana 49.5
7. Wyoming 49.3
8. New Hampshire 48.7
9. Alaska 47.4
10. Massachusetts 47.3
- Associated Press