Personal Update: I have not been blogging much of late, for personal reasons. Briefly, last Monday I almost lost my 18-year old daughter Tara. I prefer to keep the details private, particularly because I blog under my real name. She is doing fine and is expected to go home Wednesday. We are expecting a full recovery. The last week has been a difficult one, and I have had neither the time nor inclination to follow the news, much less blog about it.