As a new database from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis helpfully shows, (see Free Exchange), the percentage decline so far in this recession is exactly equal to the median decline at this stage of the ten post-war recessions.

ECONOMIST: America's economy

Then, as now, there was an uneasy sense of American decline on the world stage.

FORBES: President Obama Is The Second FDR, Not The Second Carter

Questions remain about using deep-brain stimulation to treat dementia, including whether it would work for Alzheimer's patients and at what stage of decline, whether it is safe and how long the effect will last, said Dr. Salloway.

WSJ: Memory Gets Jolt in Brain Research