It is impossible to exaggerate the wide, and widening, gulf between the American attitude on the Iraq war and the view from our friends across the Atlantic.

Those who actually hate animals to the point of being cruel to them are outcasts to the rest of us, no matter where in the world they live.

Conventional wisdom holds that setting a timetable for getting American troops out of Iraq would be a mistake.

America, the temple of invention and industry, doesn't make things anymore.

As I listened, it occurred to me that interest in and affection for the animals that share the planet with us may be a more unifying force than any other.

In economic panics throughout history, the wiping out of the savings accounts of lower earners and the middle class has often led to social revolution, sometimes violent upheavals.

What the F.D.I.C. does is to put the full faith and credit of the United States government behind every savings account in the nation, up to a limit that has changed over the years and stands now at $100,000.