National: “How do we get people involved in our town?” So many of our communities and organizations are suffering from “STP” (same ten people) syndrome. It not only wears them out, we also miss the new people and ideas that can make a real difference. Comment.

National: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia just asserted for a second time that our Constitution does not protect women against discrimination. That was one of the arguments for passing the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)., and ironically, people of Scalia’s “conservative” persuasion often countered that the ERA was not needed precisely because women are already protected by the 14th Amendment. Comment.

National: WASHINGTON (AP) — Overhauling his team at the top, President Barack Obama on Thursday named banker and seasoned political fighter William Daley as his new chief of staff, hoping to rejuvenate both a White House storming into re-election mode and an economy still gasping for help. Comment.

National: While the extension of Bush-era tax cuts dominated headlines during the recently-concluded lame duck session of Congress, the coming year will bring with it a renewed focus on public debt — whether policymakers like it or not. Comment.

National: Dr. James Gordon, founder of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine returned from Haiti after a five-day trip to teach healing modalities to 120 volunteers from 34 of Port au Prince’s health, mental health and religious communities. Comment.