18 February 2009: Morning

Israel's "Peace House" comes with bomb shelters on every floor, advocates the treatment of Gazan children, supports Israeli attacks.

In Iraq, senior soldiers' fraud has blighted reconstruction, losing locals' hearts and mind.

The crisis stiffens, economists are worried as the countries many believed would pull others out of recession show signs of a downturn.

An unexpected bailout condition: Limiting salaries for a company's 25 top-paid executives makes the next 25 employees the top-paid.

Unexpected consequences of financial crisis: better bureaucrats, longer skirts, more corruption.

An unexpected recession benefit: Chrysler will stop manufacturing the PT Cruiser, the most hideous car on U.S. roads today.

"When a place gets boring, even the rich people leave." How the crisis could boost New York's creative capital.

The cutoff for this month's Of Recent Note topic, "People I Wish I Knew," is tonight at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

Hertzberg: On bipartisanship, Obama is sharpening his teeth, rather than using them.

Obama has a good memory for where he's been, grammatically, and a strong sense of where he's going. The Millions diagrams Obama.

Also from the Millions: In lieu of a tour guide, enhance trips abroad with these novel-city pairings.

Attention Chicagoans, your Snuggie Pub Crawl approaches, and it will be cuddly.

You purchased matching fursuits so that you could renew your vows as foxes. "How to Say I Love You" by Paul Ford.