Facts.

More American soldiers died in Iraq in May 2007 than in any month since November 2004.

If you get arrested in the state of Minnesota this weekend, it may interest you to know that your fingerprints will be handled by a brand new piece of software called BioID which I helped write. On second thought...no, that probably won't interest you. Especially not if you get arrested this weekend.

Unfortunately, the story about film and television director Mike Figgis being detained at LAX last week has turned out not to be true. But come on, it still might be the most perfect joke on a figure speech of our time. "I'm here to shoot a pilot."

The San Antonio Spurs are in the NBA Finals, and the only people who care either reside in San Antonio, or are disgusted. The Spurs have been to the Finals three times in the last decade and have never lost. But never before have they been labeled cheap and dirty players as unanimously as they are now. If anything, they have been the good guys in previous years. This year they go up against LeBron James and some other people known (barely) as the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron is so charismatic, he even inspired the governor of Ohio to support laws being broken.

Oh, and Robert Horry's new nickname is officially Cheap Shot Rob.

The Canadian dollar is worth more than 94 US pennies. As further evidence that Canadians are learning the finer points of running a capitalist economy from their nearest neighbors, the British Columbia Legislature wrapped up their most recent session by voting themselves a 29% pay raise, and gave the Premier (Canadian equivalent of a governor, eh?) a 54% increase. For those who like real numbers, that makes their annual salaries $98,000 and $186,000 respectively (or $103,909.43 and $197,215.86 US). Oh, and in the same session, they voted not to raise the minimum wage. Nice.

And finally, powdered alcohol has been invented. By college students, of course.