FRANKNOTE

Canadian researchers, however, have found one possible culprit: popular new heartburn drugs. Patients taking proton pump inhibitors, such as Prilosec and Prevacid, are almost three times as likely to be diagnosed with C-diff, the McGill University researchers reported in the Dec. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Those taking another type called H2-receptor antagonists, such as Pepcid and Zantac, are twice as likely. By suppressing stomach acid, the drugs may inadvertently help the bug, the researchers said.

Logo designer Bjorn Atldax says he's not just trying for an antiestablishment vibe.

'It is an active statement against Christianity,' Atldax told The Associated Press. 'I'm not a Satanist myself, but I have a great dislike for organized religion.'

Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos expects a rocket-ship complex for his aerospace venture Blue Origin to open early next year.

The quest for affordable housing and jobs is driving Americans from expensive coastal states to more moderately priced parts of the country, according to an analysis of Census population estimates out Thursday.

Britain's most famous gay couple ? Sir Elton John and Canadian filmmaker David Furnish ? tied the knot Wednesday in a much-anticipated ceremony that capped the first week of legalized civil unions in the United Kingdom.

Jones, a Republican and a churchgoer appointed to the federal bench three years ago, cited Supreme Court rulings that teaching creationism ? which holds that God created all life ? violates the First Amendment wall between church and state. He said evidence at trial established that intelligent design is 'a mere re-labeling of creationism.'

The action by U.S. District Judge James Robertson stemmed from deep concern that the surveillance program that Bush authorized was legally questionable and may have tainted the work of the court that Robertson resigned from, the newspaper said in Wednesday's editions.

Sweetness by itself is merely a sensation, they note. Its pleasure arises within the brain, where neural systems actively paint pleasure onto the sensation to generate a 'liking' reaction.

One of country's hardest rock bands will open for one of rock's hardest country bands. Brooks & Dunn will warm up for the Rolling Stones in Omaha, Neb., Jan. 29.

The ANWR provision was attached to a major defense bill, forcing many opponents of oil and gas exploration in the barren northern Alaska range to vote for it. The bill, passed 308-106, devoted money to bird flu preventive measures and $29 billion to hurricane relief, including funds for reconstructing New Orleans' levees.

The downward spiral of America continues.

The NSA program's existence surfaced as Bush was fighting to save the expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act, the domestic anti-terrorism law enacted after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Democrats and a few Republicans who say the law gives so much latitude to law enforcement officials that it threatens Americans' constitutional liberties succeeded Friday in stalling its renewal.

George W. Bush - CLUELESS IN AMERICA!

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's AIDS charity paid nearly a half-million dollars in consulting fees to members of his political inner circle, according to tax returns providing the first financial accounting of the presidential hopeful's nonprofit.