In the headlines

This is what caught my attention from the news. A random selection:

- Google lists 42,800 articles about the acquittal of Michael Jackson. Forbes has some interesting facts regarding the trial. For exemple: In the entire state of California in 2002 (the last year for which statistics are available), there were 236,471 felony charge dispositions and just 766 acquittals - about three-tenths of 1% of all cases.
- More than 1,700 American forces have now been killed in Iraq, in President 'Bush's "Happy Thoughts" Death Trap.' Plus: "The body counts are back." (via Cursor.org)
- Showdown in the capital of France: Rival planemakers Boeing and Airbus have both unveiled big orders for their new planes as the pair square up to each other at the Paris Air Show, the Airbus A380 (detailed information here and here - the world's largest airliner -, and the Boeing 777.
- An earth-like planet has found outside our solar system.
- O my. Destiny's Child will be history soon.
- News.com reports that thrillionaires are the new space capitalists. Microsoft co-found Paul Allen is responsible for SpaceShipOne, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin, British entrepreneur Richard Branson created Virgin Galactic. And Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal, created the rocket company SpaceX, among others.
- After Paris proposed to Paris - can the world survive without the Hilton heiress?
- The weather is the Californian desert is beautiful, the weather in Europe sucks.
- Can European politicians ever agree on something?
- Update: Michael Jackson's website just posted a note trumpeting his courtroom vindication, linking it with such historic events as the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., while his lawyer vowed his client wouldn't be sharing his bed with boys anymore.