President Obama's goal, by contrast, is not to cut any spending in the here and now, only sometime in the "out years, " to use the Washington phrase, presumably when he'll be out of office.

WSJ: Review & Outlook: Obamageddon

Nearly half of all graduate students in the sciences in the U.S. are now foreigners, most of whom will be heading home, not staying here as once would have happened.

FORBES: U.S. Science Education: Standards of Mediocrity?

Now, here's the thing, though -- this is not the first time we've seen gas prices spike.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Speaks on American Energy

Now, it's not all bad news, I have to say here.

NPR: 'Marketplace' Report: Demand for Foreclosed Homes

And so, the next day on January 18th, which is Exhibit 13 -- now there's a whole flurry of activity here, I'm not going go through all of them.

CNN

"There's an awakening now out here by the political elite and many ordinary citizens that this place is not just important for history, " says Opala.

CNN: 'Slave trade ghost town': The dark history of Bunce Island

Worse, you're not always sure how to buy it, or even if the shop will let you if you're not living in the U.S. So, now that I'm a veteran cybershopper, here is my list of demands for wannabe e-tailers.

CNN: WINDOWS SHOPPING

And I'm here to tell you that's a fact, and we're trying very hard not to do that now.

NPR: Is the Iraq Surge Strategy Working?