The incredible shrinking budget: Thanks to falling tax revenues and ballot initiatives that "could shave several hundred million more from state coffers," Washington's budget figures to shrink again. Plans discussed include "privatizing the issuing of licenses, such as drivers' licenses." Does that mean shorter lines?

Implications of the new state law on painkillers: In a shocker, critics of the new law say it's more likely to stop people who need painkillers from getting them than people who abuse them. It's as if this has never happened before with other draconian laws in America. If you love anecdotal evidence, this is the story for you!

Local investment scammer's property goes up for auction: The auction brought in just over $166,000. My reaction: you conned people out of $12 million so you could buy a Dodge Charger and a Honda Element?

Repo men arrested in Snohomish County: Three men allegedly kidnapped a father and son at gunpoint as part of a repo operation. Hint: you're doing it wrong. Sounds like these guys need to spend 90 minutes studying repo theory under Professor Emilio Estevez.

Iran reneges on reneging on releasing one of the captured American hikers: In an update from yesterday's links, Iranian authorities are again willing to release hiker Sarah Shourd, this time on $500,000 bail. It's still not going to be easy: "It was not immediately clear whether such a bail payment would violate U.S. trade sanctions or whether a special waiver would be required."

Three-man Chinese submersible goes two miles below the waves: In a race for undersea oil and mineral access, the submersible staked China's claim by planting a flag on the seafloor. By contrast, we once planted a flag on the moon and brought back some moonrocks. America gets the edge in cool points, but the Chinese win in the coveted area of "things that might actually make us money."

Five Americans arrested for giving AIDS drugs to the poor in Zimbabwe: Authorities are holding them "on a charge of dispensing the medicine without the supervision of a pharmacist or proper licenses, their lawyer said." According to their lawyer, the charges are bogus and licenses were in order. Even if they weren't, arresting them doesn't seem like the best way to fight a "severe" epidemic in a desperately poor country.

Multiple murder-suicide in a Kentucky trailer park: A man killed five women and then himself because he didn't like his wife's breakfast. One witness: "Over eggs? I thought that was crazy. I mean just because his eggs weren't hot?" I really hope there was more to it than the eggs.

How manga will preserve Arabic culture: UAE computer nerd produces manga in classical Arabic and on traditional themes to save the children. Click through if you've ever wondered what a falconer in a keffiyeh would look like rendered in a Japanese cartoon.