1.)     For the first time in three decades, there’s a new favorite beverage in our country.      Americans are now drinking more water than soda.   Since the 1980s, soda has been the beverage of choice, when Pepsi and Coke launched their massive celebrity endorsement campaigns.   According to industry tracker Beverage Digest, in 1988 Americans were drinking an average of 54 gallons of soda a year, compared to just 42 gallons of water.    Today, that has flipped to us drinking an average of 58 gallons of water a year, compared to 44 gallons of soda.

2.)     This fall, when you and I “fall back,” and return to standard time, people in Florida may not be doing the same.   The newly proposed Sunshine Protection Act would keep Florida on daylight saving time year round.    The representative who introduced the legislation believes "Floridians' quality of life and, potentially, economics would be improved by having an hour more of sunshine in the afternoon."      Airline lobbyists oppose efforts to extend daylight savings time, claiming it would be too confusing for travelers.    Other critics also say that staying on Daylight Savings Time would knock the Sunshine State out of sync with the rest of the country.

3.)     Colleges are facing a smaller pool of graduating high school seniors this year, with 3.32 million students forecast to graduate this year, down from 3.41 in the 2010 – 2011 school year.    So, Liberal Arts colleges are offering deals to win over families with less cash on hand.    The Wall Street Journal is reporting schools offering $2,500 cash back if you apply today; or pay for seven semesters and get the last one free.   And, at least one school is even offering financial support to graduates whose post-college employment pays little.     The average student-loan toll among 2011 graduates with debt was $26,600.