Tuesday morning roundup

China turns its charm offensive on South Asia. Meanwhile, to women's relief, Indian men are eschewing facial hair.

Thank you for addressing the question I've been asking all along: did it not occur to these people to brace for tyranny when we had a government completely uninterested in civil liberties? Here's another bit of irony, given Sarah Palin's quip about how we don't need a professor of law in the Oval Office:

As the meeting ended, Carolyn L. Whaley, 76, held up her copy of the Constitution. She carries it everywhere, she explained, and she was prepared to lay down her life to protect it from the likes of Mr. Obama.

There's also this:

Their task seemed endless, almost overwhelming, especially with only $517 in their Tea Party bank account. There were rallies against illegal immigration to attend. There was a coming lecture about the hoax of global warming. There were shooting classes to schedule, and tips to share about the right survival food.

The group struggled fitfully for direction. Maybe they should start vetting candidates. Someone mentioned boycotting ABC, CBS, NBC and MSNBC. Maybe they should do more recruiting.

While we're on frustration with government, this area's local governments' grace period has expired: people are fed up with how the cities have managed the snowstorm(s).

I was away for most of it, and I'm fed up. I mean, I was ready to come back... but now I'm ready for spring. This whole having to put a coat on to go outside has already gotten old.

Another side effect of having been away: I think I've developed a physical dependency on coffee. I generally have it a few times a week, at most, but I had it every day out there so I could function at work... and I definitely needed it this morning.