Technical Difficulties - Please Stand By

We've hit some bumps in the road to posting today, and I hope to have the technical issues and some new graphics loaded later today. I apologize for the delay. Meantime, here's some Morning Links (PST) to get things going... I'm posting this via email as a test of the system - keep your fingers crossed!

• Things go from bad to worse: Heavy Fighting in Basra Kills At Least 22

• Things go from bad to worse, Part 2: Britain Is World's 7th Most Stable and Prosperous Nation; US at 22nd

• Should this frighten us?: Iceland's Central Bank Unexpectedly Raises Benchmark Interest Rate to 15%

• Hear, Hear!: Get rid of the White House press secretary

• Optimistic: Learning to love robots

• Scientists warn against biofuel rush

• Eternal Return: Consumer Confidence in U.S. Falls; Outlook Drops to Lowest Level Since '73