Wednesday Morning Jane

By CJP | January 23, 2008

Good morning, Janes! You don’t have to have a child in day care to know that if the American economy catches a cold, somebody’s going to get the flu. But before you stuff your cash in your mattress and sue the pants off your realtor, let’s all take a deep breath and remember what to do when somebody’s under the weather.

Feed a fever, starve a cold. Or is it starve a fever, feed a cold? No matter. The best way to prepare to deal with the uncertainty ahead is to cover your behind with plenty of information and know-how. Get ready to be the smartest woman weathering the storm. Here’s your Morning Jane….

Top Domestic Story: Campaign 2008

• The Florida primary is the Republicans’ last chance to pick up a win before Super Tuesday, but the Sunshine State isn’t a cheap date. John McCain and Rudy Giuliani flew to New York do some emergency fundraising in New York while Mike Huckabee cut back expenses, including staff salaries. And self-funding millionaire Mitt Romney? Stayed in Florida to run TV ads and tout his money mastery. [Miami Herald]

• Hillary Clinton went to Salinas Valley, California, yesterday to pick up an endorsement from the United Farm Workers union. Analysts credit her 2 to 1 advantage among Latinos to such endorsements, as well as her higher name i.d. among Hispanics, some of whom during the Nevada caucuses thought Barack Obama’s last name was “Omega.”  [LA Times]

• Even though Senator Clinton has decamped to California, South Carolina got what Bill Clinton called, “the next best thing”: Bill Clinton. Asked about his wife’s chances in the Palmetto State, he said, “This is a state I won in ‘92 . . . so I like it here and I love being down here.” [Washington Post]

Top International Story: The U.N. Security Council has drafted a resolution about Iran’s nuclear program, which is described by negotiators as neither tough nor punitive. Upset by the resolution nonetheless, Iranian President Ahmadinejad responded, “Such illegal behavior … will not divert the Iranian nation from its path.” [Times of London]

The Fed cuts rates yesterday to steady the global economy, but some people just won’t play along. A former Fed director says, “Nothing the Federal Reserve did today changes the probability that we are in recession or about to enter one.” [USA Today]

Reactions to the death of Heath Ledger are especially personal in Perth, Australia, where the actor grew up and his family still lives. One film critic who knows Ledger’s sister, Kate, wrote, “I can’t imagine what she or her family are going through right now. They have lost a son, a brother, a father and a friend. The film world has lost a shining young star.” [PerthNow]

Have you been feeling a little lumpy lately? Are you already on your second diet this week? Then head on over to what the “New York Times” calls “the fatosphere,” a collection of blogs from the large and in charge. With names like Big Fat Deal and FatGrrl, you’ll get delicious bites of wisdom that are one-size-fits all, including “Be yourself,” and, “Understand that a lot of people are hateful morons.” Roger that, BFD! [New York Times]

If your kitty’s gone missing, check your carry on. [Tampa.com]

Topics: Morning Jane

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