It's impressive, to say the least, that there are now half a million more people in work than a year ago, with the creation of 600, 000 jobs in the private sector more than offsetting the jobs lost in government.

BBC: UK unemployment: Jobs up, pay down

Non-spousal IRA heirs of any age must take RMDs from both traditional and Roth accounts. (The amount you must take out is calculated based on your life expectancy and the balance in your IRAs the end of the prior year.) There are special rules: for folks who turn 70 and a half, they typically have until April 1 of the following year to take their first distribution.

FORBES: IRA Owners Dawdling Over Required Minimum Distributions

There are about 500, 000 deaths a year, over half of which happen in hospital and so it would be a miracle if among those there were not some people who were unhappy with how their loved ones had been cared for in their final moments.

BBC: The dilemma over care for the dying

But there are precedents, as Western intelligence services were a year and half in the fog regarding a North Korean uranium enrichment plant.

FORBES: Creating Bridges Into North Korea

There are also 1.6 million more Hispanic voters this year, including a half-million newly naturalized citizens, and they chose Obama over McCain by a margin of 2 to 1.

NPR: Obama Pushes Past Race Barriers, Wins White House

But now it plans to focus specifically on claims for whiplash injuries - of which there were more than half a million last year - and how they affect what drivers are paying for insurance.

BBC: Search the

But within those numbers, the Agriculture Department believes that there are about half a million to a million children who in fact do during the course of the year have to miss meals and don't get enough nutritious food.

NPR: Child Hunger: Nutritious Food Tough To Afford

Yes, there are half a dozen states where Democrats have a good-to-plausible shot at taking away a Republican seat this year: Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee and Missouri.

NPR: What Would It Take To Flip the House?