Remembering 9/11

According to a recent poll, half of Americans will observe today in an informal way and 12% will do it in a formal manner. About 30% said they will not do anything different today, and 8% said they didn't have an opinion. Formal rememberances will be held at Ground Zero and the Pentagon, as well as the Flight 93 memorial near Shanksville. Today at Ground Zero, for example, the recitation of the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the 2001 terrorist attacks will be made.

In Other News A giant federal tobacco tax hike has spurred a historic drop in smoking, especially among teens, poor people and those dependent on government health insurance. President Obama signed the tax hike — the biggest to take effect in his first term — on his 16th day in office, reversing two vetoes by President Bush. The federal cigarette tax jumped from 39 cents to $1.01 per pack on April 1, 2009, to finance expanded health care for children. Since then, the change has brought in more than $30 billion in new revenue, tax records show. About 3 million fewer people smoked last year than in 2009, despite a larger population, according to surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Andy Murray won the U.S. Open in five grueling sets to become the first British man since 1936 to capture a Grand Slam. The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) has expressed frustration with Iran, saying that months of delays have stymied inspectors' efforts to search for nuclear capabilities. Meanwhile, Israel has said time is running out for diplomatic efforts to verify Iran's nuclear intentions. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, such as energy production. The United Nations (which runs the IAEA) is concerned that the Iranian program is building an atomic weapon.