Sidelights.

Banning panhandling in downtown Atlanta could result in terrorism, according to Joe Beasley, the Southern regional director for Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH coalition. Should the city pass an ordinance banning panhandling it may hurt the poor, and "at some point, they'll strap a belt around their waist and blow you up." * A Rasmussen poll revealed that only 20 percent of likely American voters "believe prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have been treated unfairly." Thirty-four percent think the treatment of the prisoners is "about right," and 36 percent think America treats them "better than they deserve." * Amnesty International condemned European Union anti-terrorism efforts for not doing enough to ensure "human rights." The United Kingdom, Spain, and France were particularly singled out for Criticism. * The Washington Post reported that the number of credible terrorist threats against the U.S. is at the lowest level since 9/11. * The Trade Bank of Iraq is issuing the nation's first credit and debit cards. Prior to liberation by the U.S., Iraq had a strictly cash economy. ... The average per capita income in Iraq for 2004 was $422, up from $322 the year before. ... The average American wedding costs over $26,000. ... Gamblers lost over $27 billion at U.S. casinos in 2003. ...

Americans have a total of over $4 trillion stored in savings accounts, and over $10 trillion in stocks and mutual funds. ... One year of tuition, room, and board at Harvard costs $42,000. * In the first quarter of 2005, the average price for a Manhattan apartment hit a new record of $1.2 million. ... The Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida is the most expensive gated community in the U.S. Home prices range from $920,000 to more than $29 million. * Historians studying a newly discovered fragment of the oldest existing copy of the New Testament have concluded that the "mark of the Beast" is more likely 616, not 666. * Bishop Joseph Zen, leader of Hong Kong's 224,000 ...