471 dead: The Washington Post reports, "The number of U.S. service members killed and wounded in Iraq has more than doubled in the past four months compared with the four months preceding them, according to Pentagon statistics."

God by the numbers: According to a Star Tribune poll of Minnesotans, 34 percent of respondents said that Islam is more likely than other religions to "encourage its believers to be violent," compared to 3 percent for Christianity, 5 percent for Judaism, and 7 percent for Hinduism, and 5 percent for Buddhism. I don't get it: how many wars have been fought for the honor of Buddha? And how many have been fought in Christ's name? Maybe this explains it: only 24 percent of those polled said they have a "good understanding" of Islam at all.

Futures forecasting: The Iowa Electronic Markets, an actual money market fund/research tool that has predicted the outcomes of presidential elections since 1988 within a 1.7% margin of error, indicates that Howard Dean will most likely be the Democratic challenger to George W. Bush in 2004.

Bushmouth: Dubya Speaks logs text and audiofiles of our mush-mouthed president's verbal manglings. Here's one worth a listen: "It's in the interest of -- uhh -- uhh, long-term peace in the world that we -- uhh -- work for a free and secure and peaceful Iraq. A peeance, freeance secure Iraq in the midst of the Middle East will have enormous historical impact."

Graffiti slideshow: While many websites catlogue graffiti art, Graffiti Archaeology appears to be the first to record the evolution of art on graffiti walls over time. Wired News reports.

Bruce pardoned: Comedian and biting social satirist Lenny Bruce, who died of a drug overdose in 1966 at age 37, has been pardoned forty years too late for an obscenity conviction.