Etc...

SHUCKS, AND I MISSED IT

As Brazil was defeating Germany 2-0 in the title game of the World Cup Sunday, another high-level international soccer game also ended in a shutout. In "The Other Final," Bhutan trumped the team from the Caribbean island of Montserrat, 4-0, on a field at Thimpu, the capital of the Himalayan kingdom. High level? Wait a minute: Bhutan and Montserrat are 202nd and 203rd, respectively – the lowest in the sport's official rankings. Well, yes, that's true. But Thimpu is 7,710 feet above sea level.

The common perception is that the GOP is the political party of the rich. Yet, it is Democrats who edge Republicans by six to four among the 10 wealthiest members of Congress in the latest annual ranking by Roll Call, a daily Washington publication devoted to Capitol Hill. Many of the richest lawmakers, not unlike other investors, saw their fortunes shrink last year as the value of technology stocks in their portfolios plummeted, the paper noted. The top 10 big-bucks lawmakers, with the estimated net worth of each (in millions), according to Roll Call:

1. Sen. John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts $675
2. Rep. Amo Houghton (R) of New York 500
3. Sen. Jon Corzine (D) of New Jersey 400
4. Sen. Herb Kohl (D) of Wisconsin 300
5. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D) of West Virginia 200
6. Rep. Jane Harman (D) of California 105
7. Rep. Darrell Issa (R) of California 60
8. Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R) of Rhode Island 50
(tie) Sen. Diane Feinsten (D) of California 50
(tie) Rep. Doug Ose (R) of California 50