Another Toledo muse reader helps us with creating the useful dash.
As to your discussion of the dash--there is a setting that makes this work on MS Word. It is under Tools-->AutoCorrect Options-->Auto Format as You Type--> then click the box for "hyphens with dash"

Recent CRS Reports on Qui Tam
Qui Tam: The False Claims Act and Related Federal Statutes, August 6, 2009 - "Qui tam enlists the public in the recovery of civil penalties and forfeitures. It rewards with a portion of the recovered proceeds those who sue in the government’s name. A creature of antiquity, once common, today qui tam lives on in federal law only in the False Claims Act and in two minor examples found in patent and Indian protection laws."
Qui Tam: An Abbreviated Look at the False Claims Act and Related Federal Statutes, August 6, 2009.

The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages prior to the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter. The Scandinavian variants are also known as futhark (or fuþark, derived from their first six letters of the alphabet: F, U, Þ, A, R, and K); the Anglo-Saxon variant is futhorc (due to sound changes undergone in Old English by the same six letters). Runology is the study of the runic alphabets, runic inscriptions, runestones, and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics. The earliest runic inscriptions date from around 150 AD, and the alphabet was generally replaced by the Latin alphabet along with Christianization by around 700 AD in central Europe and by around 1100 AD in Scandinavia; however, the use of runes persisted for specialized purposes in Scandinavia, longest in rural Sweden until the early twentieth century (used mainly for decoration as runes in Dalarna and on Runic calendars). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runic_alphabet

Fotopedia - the first collaborative photo encyclopedia
"Fotopedia is breathing new life into photos by building a photo encyclopedia that lets photographers and photo enthusiasts collaborate and enrich images to be useful for the whole world wide web."

Washington D.C. area landmarks in The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, part two
Kryptos is a sculpture by James Sanborn located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia. Since its dedication on November 3, 1990, there has been much speculation about the meaning of the encrypted messages it bears.
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Kryptos
Scottish Rite Masonic Temple also known as House of the Temple
Designed by architect John Russell Pope and built in 1915, this building was modeled after the Tomb of Mausolus in Turkey, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/84516/500/6/
http://dcpages.com/gallery/House-of-the-Temple/ (pages 6 and 9 show pictures of library)
The Statue of Freedom was placed on top of the Capitol Dome in 1863. The Statue of Freedom is a female figure, who holds a sheathed sword in her right hand and a laurel wreath of victory and the shield of the United States with thirteen stripes in her left hand.
The statue has a helmet adorned with stars and an eagle's head. She stands on a cast-iron globe encircled with the national motto, E Pluribus Unum. The bronze statue stands 19 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 15,000 pounds.
http://www.visitingdc.com/capitol/statue-of-freedom.htm
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, modeled after the Pantheon of Rome--the circular, colonnaded structure in the classic style was introduced to this country by Thomas Jefferson. Architect John Russell Pope used Jefferson's own architectural tastes in the design of the Memorial. http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/travel/wash/dc73.htm
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington. The monument, made of marble, granite, and sandstone, is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk in height standing 555 feet 5⅛ inches (169.294 m). There are other monumental columns (which are neither all stone nor true obelisks) which are taller. The Washington Monument is the third tallest monumental column in the world after the San Jacinto Monument in Texas and the Juche Tower in North Korea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument
Washington National Cathedral, whose official name is the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The high altar, The Jerusalem Altar, is made from stones quarried at Solomon's Quarry near Jerusalem, reputedly where the stones for Solomon's Temple were quarried. In the floor directly in front of that altar are set ten stones from the Chapel of Moses on Mount Sinai, representing the Ten Commandments as a foundation for the Jerusalem Altar. There are many other works of art including over two hundred stained glass windows, the most familiar of which may be the Space Window, honoring man's landing on the Moon, which includes a fragment of lunar rock at its center.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_National_Cathedral

Sardinia is Italy's second largest island and the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It's also a geographical and political region of Italy, famed for its beautiful beaches and fascinating history. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/sardinia.htm
In D. H. Lawrence’s book “Sea and Sardinia” he is quoted as saying that “Sardinia is left outside of time and history”. Sardinia’s history is very ancient. Proof has been found of human life dating back to 250,000 BC. The most common artifact on the island was left by the Nuragic civilization. Over 7000 stone, tower like structures remain yet with no written record it is a mystery as to their significance. There are many hypotheses yet one thing is agreed upon; this civilization was astronomically and mathematically advanced. It is nothing short of a miracle that these towers still stand, 3500 years later. http://news.adventure.travel/sardinia-italy%E2%80%99s-most-untouched-island/
Nuragic Culture (XVII Cent. B.C. - IX Cent. B.C.)
Nuragic culture began approx. in 1600 B.C. The population was divided in tribes, which probably often came into conflict, and was ruled by "king-shepherds". The most characteristic monuments of this period are nuraghi, truncated-conic buildings made of rocks, with a defensive purpose; sometimes the single towers were connected to each other by walls, forming complexes. The towers were high up to 18-20 m, and were
rich in passageways, stairs and inner wells. http://flat358.com/aboutus_eng.htm

The world's heaviest baby was born in 1879 in Ohio and weighed 23.8 pounds (10.8 kg), but the baby died 11 hours later, according to Guinness World Records. The heaviest baby to survive was a boy born in 1955 in Aversa, Italy. He weighed 22.6 pounds (10.2 kg). A baby in Indonesia made his way into the world in September 2009 at 19.2 pounds (8.7 kg)—about three times the weight of an average newborn. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/25/indonesia.baby/

On September 26, 1789, John Jay was commissioned as the first Chief Justice of the United States following his confirmation by the Senate. http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/thisday/
September 26 is the birthday of Jane Smiley, (books by this author) born in Los Angeles (1949). She's best known for her novel A Thousand Acres (1991), which begins, "At sixty miles per hour, you could pass our farm in a minute."
September 26 is the birthday of composer George Gershwin, born in Brooklyn, New York (1898). He made his name as a composer with the piece Rhapsody in Blue (1924), when he was just 26 years old. The Writer’s Almanac