Perhaps the best indication that it's working came just recently when we were all set to take our daughter to dinner.

WSJ: Time With Mom and Dad: Making It Fair

This perhaps is Mr Obama's best hope - that those Republicans who feel a need for reform may heed some of his pleas for votes for his plans.

BBC: State of the Union: Obama pledges to reignite economy

Perhaps this year's best movies, the movies that reflect the collective anxiety of an industry coping with lagging box office and shrinking cultural dominance, really do all focus on willful and ultimately solitary characters who struggle with their respective visions of integrity in the face of interference from the larger, and crueler, world.

NPR: Make 'Em Laugh: Why No Oscar for Best Comedy?