Balance Sheet.

• Author: Taylor, Jeff A.
• Position: Pennsylvania zoning case, genetic research on mice, other news - Brief Article

* Zone Defense. A U.S. district judge decides the First Amendment trumps zoning rules in a dispute over converting a former convent into a synagogue and Hebrew school. Abington Township, a Philly suburb, had "no rational reason to allow a train station, bus shelter, municipal administration building, police barrack, library, snack bar, pro shop, club house, country club, but not [a temple]."

* Mighty Mice. Gene researchers at the University of Virginia make a mouse that changes color when it eats certain foods. The ability to switch a gene on or off with ease should be a boon for scientists studying how genes and diseases interact.

* Clear Sale. Germany boots a 1933 law that effectively banned store discounts. Passed eight months after Adolf Hitler came to power, the law was supposed to protect small shopkeepers against large, often Jewish-owned, department stores. Recently, Wal-Mart had run afoul of the law.

* Ms. Link. Women now make up more than half of North America's Internet users, Nielsen/NetRatings finds, when just a few years ago they were "under-represented" online. The survey also finds that women are much more efficient surfers--they spend less time online because they find what they are looking for quicker.

* Base Meddle. Pentagon brass endorses a Bush proposal to close more military bases worldwide. The Air Force alone saved $5 billion from earlier closures. A bipartisan commission must be established to answer the dicey question of which pork-ridden U.S. bases to close, however.

* Flushing Success. A British firm designs a toilet that can monitor human waste and spot health problems. Hooked to the Internet, it can send worrisome test results to medical specialists.

* Smoke Rings. Hennepin County, Minnesota, establishes a 15-yard smoke-free zone...