Looking to set the record straight, the Whole Foods grocery chain says it is "still carrying and promoting halal products for those that are celebrating Ramadan this month."

Good morning.

Financial markets in Asia and Europe have rallied today, extending the rebound that began on Wall Street Tuesday afternoon after the Federal Reserve said it plans to keep interest rates at rock-bottom levels for the next two years in a bid to help keep ailing economies from weakening further.

For most people, their biggest investment is their home. Following Standard and Poor's downgrade of U.S. credit, as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, there may be even more uncertainty about buying or selling a home right now.

Russell Zanca, 47, has a three bedroom, one and a half bath vintage brick Georgian house on the market. The anthropology professor's home is on a quiet tree-lined street on Chicago's North Side.

"It's just a nice solid house," Zanca says.

A wildlife biologist is continuing to face questions about an influential paper he wrote on apparently drowned polar bears, with government investigators reportedly asking whether he improperly steered a research contract to another scientist as a reward for reviewing that paper.

"They seem to be suggesting that there is some sort of conspiracy that involves global warming and back scratching that appears to be frankly just nuts," says Jeff Ruch, a lawyer with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

The first thing visitors notice about Assateague Island National Seashore is this: The 114 wild horses that inhabit the beachfront park along the Atlantic Ocean have full run of the place.

Summer is peak season for some 2 million tourists who visit Maryland's Assateague Island, famed for those wild horses. But increased interaction between man and beast is causing problems with the horses' diets and behaviors.

A Taste For Junk Food

In the wake of the U.S. debt downgrade, the markets have been volatile, but the political fallout has been less clear so far. With Congress on its August recess, party leaders are lying low while they gather their rank-and-file and make plans for what's next.

When Standard & Poor's downgraded the country's credit rating, it was clear about why: Its statement said it "reflects our view that the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of American policymaking and political institutions have weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic challenges."

Oil prices are falling, as traders dial back their expectation for the global demand for oil. But drivers are still waiting for the price of gasoline to drop as well.

The price of oil closed on Tuesday at about $79 a barrel — the lowest since last September.

Crude oil prices were on the rise in the beginning of the year. Unrest in the Middle East put pressure on supplies, and traders had a more optimistic outlook about the demand for oil, explains Richard Soultanian, an oil industry analyst with NUS Consulting Group.

Bubba Smith, who died last week, was a teammate of mine. I can see him giving me a stern, put-on sneer in response to that claim, and in truth, no, Bubba and I were not football teammates. Rather, we acted in an ensemble as Lite Beer All-Stars back when Miller used a lot of washed-up old athletes — and one overwhelmed sportswriter — to hustle what was then a popular new product: a low-calorie beer.

Remember? "Tastes great!" "Less filling!"