Downtrodden franchises like to toss around pithy slogans like "five-year plan" and "long-term vision" to mask their wretchedness.

WSJ: The Mets' Crawl Through the Desert Continues

The wretchedness of its foreshortened life was left to the imagination.

ECONOMIST: The right to eat cats and dogs is under threat

Although less palatial than, say, the British ambassador's residence, many might find it opulent for the head of an outfit that aims to help the billion-odd who live in rural wretchedness.

ECONOMIST: Hard questions for a poverty-buster