The Tiger Woods saga shows how extreme the lines between

public and private have become

Gov. David Paterson inherited a mess he won’t be able to clean up

Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell, sitting on top of approval ratings in the 60 percent range, announced last week that she will not seek re-election. New York Gov. David Paterson, with approval ratings heading south and approaching the teens, struggles to manage a widening budget gap, all the while insisting that he plans to run for his own first full term as the state’s chief executive.

Stephanie Miner will be Syracuse’s first female mayor, but gender bias still played a role on Election Day

Now settled, it’s time for Joanie Mahoney to leave town and drum up some business for Syracuse

A Boy and His Dog

This sad tale has more pathetic plot twists that an O. Henry short story

Starbucks now wants to sell you the experience of making their instant coffee at home

In the beginning . . . there was coffee. You bought it at the store in a can or a bag. Maybe you ground it, maybe you let Maxwell House take care of that step for you and you just scooped it into a pot and added water. You could perk it, drip it or press it. It was easy. It was good. You could put milk in it, put sugar in it, or not. It was coffee. It woke you up, warmed you up and told you in the morning, like nothing else can, that everything was going to be all right.

Using common sense is a good way to avoid the swine flu, but don’t discount inoculation

Maffei pleads for Congress to put this latest South Carolina-based skirmish behind us and focus on the real issue

First Joe Wilson called Barack Obama a liar. Then Jimmy Carter called Joe Wilson a racist. Next Rush Limbaugh followed up by calling Jimmy Carter a hemorrhoid. Keith Olbermann referred to Rush as an expert in the anatomical region inhabited by hemorrhoids, and those of us paying attention had that sick feeling of wondering just how crude things would get. At least Rush brought it back to the topic of the day: health care.