DEAR MISS MANNERS: This time of year, it often rains in the afternoon, and so I carry an umbrella with me. However, many people do not. On occasion, it will start raining when I am in a crowd ...

Financial disaster averted. That's somewhat like what's happening with the government debt ceiling, the threat of government shutdowns, and the political showdown occurring every few months.

In that half-dreaming moment I see the world as my brother must: clouded, beautiful and pulsing; rich with water and power and fragments of history falling all around like raindrops. Down below ...