The press, the blogosphere, the commentariat - in whatever form you take your medicine - are divided on the great question: How likely is a nuclear attack on the United States by a rogue state or a non-state actor, i.e., terrorists? And I have no ready-made answer to my derivative but highly pertinent question: How likely does it have to be?

The earlier rise of authoritarian, Confucianesque "Asian values" promoted by south east Asian leaders bit the dust, rightly so, when the region's economies hit the wall in 1997. But the concept is now returning with a vengeance, far more powerfully fuelled this time - by the leaders of China who are investing millions of dollars in a global chain of Confucian Institutes.

How often have you heard that the vast majority of families' incomes in the United States are rising little or not at all, that the middle class is shrinking, that real wages are stagnating, that the top 20%, or 5%, or 1% are getting the lion's share of the gains in the U.S. economy? David Henderson with the first of three parts that explains what's really going on in the American economy.

Uplifting News Flash! For the next 25 years, the World Bank estimates in a new report, developing nations will increase their wealth by an average of 3.1 percent per year, above their average of 2.1 percent for the last 25 years. "That rate of increase will produce average per capita incomes in the developing world of $11,000 by 2030, compared with $4,800 today, roughly the level of the Czech Republic today."

Will the incoming Congressional majority misread their mandate from the American people? On energy policy they are off to an incredibly fast start.