Joyce letter smashes sale record
An erotic letter sent by author James Joyce to his wife has fetched a record �240,800 at auction in London. BBC News

Brando's last role: an evil old lady Marlon Brando fulfilled a lifelong ambition in his final film: to play an old lady. True to his Method training, the actor donned a blond wig and full drag for the part, even though the film was animated. Guardian

Bush's helping hands: Media scrubs president from Ken Lay coverage a review of mainstream press coverage since news of the Lay indictment first broke Wednesday afternoon indicates most news outlets, minus the San Francisco Chronicle and a handful of others, have completely downplayed the Bush connection, or simply ignored it all together. That, of course, is good news for the White House, which now wants nothing to do with the disgraced energy executive, once on the short list to be in Bush's cabinet. Salon

Big brother in the bookstore Many legislators on Capitol Hill will own up to supporting the Patriot Act, even with some of its more noxious provisions, in a 9/11-induced haze. But there are a few politicians in Washington -- especially those surrounding President Bush -- who continue to insist that, somehow, keeping track of what books ordinary Americans check out of the library will stop the next al-Qaida plot. Bush himself seems intent on keeping every part of the law on the books, a fact underscored yesterday when the White House threatened to veto a spending bill if it contained amendments weakening the government's power to spy on Americans' reading habits. Salon

Ultimate dot-com survivor faces new challenges WebMD, a health care company forged by two high-profile entrepreneurs at the height of the dot-com boom, is fabulously successful by one important measure: It's still here. CNET News

Turbulent skies Innovative and bold low-cost carriers have transformed the airline industry on both sides of the Atlantic. But are they now doomed to lose their momentum?
The Economist

The big one After more than two years of investigation, prosecutors have filed charges against Kenneth Lay, the former chairman of Enron. But though the bankrupt energy-trading company has become a synonym for corporate fraud, �Kenny Boy� may yet wriggle off the hook. The Economist