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Saddam's Hollywood Twin Waits Out War

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Just like Ben & Jerry's Peace Pops, the Web-based conservative dessert maker plans to donate a portion of the sale of "Freedom Flavors" to charities, conservative ones in this case. A four-quart sampler goes for $76, and future flavors include "Cowardly German Chocolate," "Donald Rum Raisin" and "U.S. Marine Tough Cookies & Cream."

Not All Bagdads Are Alike — There's peace in Bagdad. If you are talking about Bagdad in Arizona, Kentucky, Pennsylvania or California. There are 10 American towns with this name. Most are small. Only three have post offices. But these days, these hamlets are not so quiet.

Street signs have been disappearing, and residents are quick to point out the difference in spelling between their hometown and Saddam's capital.

The folks in Pennsylvania are saying that their town's curious name come from its agrarian roots. They say a son would fill a sack of salt or feed and yell to his father, "Bag, Dad!"

"Please don't associate our town's name with that of Baghdad, Iraq," the Bagdad, Ariz., Web site instructs. "It had nothing to do with Iraq."

The local school principal is currently thinking of changing the name of his school's football team — the Bagdad Sultans — to something apparently less controversial: the Bagdad Thieves.

Brownies Invade Iraq — The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines are being joined by another awesomely powerful American force — the Girl Scouts. Wisconsin radiologist Lawrence Bauer donated 12,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to GIs fighting in the Persian Gulf. That's a lot of thin mints, but all in the name of sweet victory.

Eat This, Saddam — One way to sympathize with our soldiers is to eat like them. The Red Bank Army Store in Tennessee is selling the same Army chow that our soldiers are eating, known as Meals Ready to Eat or MREs.

These waterproof, bug-proof plastic pouches contain a miraculous heating device that cook up dinner in 10 minutes. The store offers a variety of haute Army cuisine, including pot roast and manicotti among 27 entrees, and such side dishes as Cajun rice. It sounds pretty good. But it's still Army chow — and Uncle Sam can't really compete with Uncle Ben or Mrs. Paul.

Still, Red Bank is having a hard time keeping MREs in stock. If World War II popularized Spam, let's just pray that the future of American fast food is not a casualty of this war.

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