Snapshots.

He's Feeling the Heat

"I know that certain quarters have been quite persistent in attacking the U.N. and me...."

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan reluctantly acknowledged increasing loss of confidence in both the world body and himself during a year-end news conference.

Worried as a Son Prepares for Iraq Deployment

"It's like watching your son playing in traffic, and there's nothing you can do."

Daily reports about U.S. dead and injured prompted Janet Bellows of Daytona Beach, Florida, to bare her anxiety as her son prepared to leave for his third tour of duty in the Middle East, his second in Iraq.

Death Penalty Rarely Leads to Execution

"The comment may sound a bit whimsical, but it's literally true that the leading cause of death on death row is old age."

California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald M. George acknowledging that 641 condemned inmates are awaiting execution but only 10 have actually been put to death since the death penalty was reinstated in 1977.

Chinese Eyeing Canada's Oil

"Watch the Americans have a hissy fit if a Chinese incursion materializes."

Writing in Canada's The National Post, energy specialist Claudia Cattaneo noted that China's interest in obtaining Canadian oil could lead to cuts in exports to the United States. Canada is the top foreign source of America's energy supply.

Big Farms Raking In Federal Dollars

"For those who can milk the system, it's been a great year."

Even though farm income doubled over the past two years and federal agriculture subsidies jumped 40 percent during the same period ($15.7 billion in 2004 and $130 billion over the past nine years), small farmers like Nebraska's Kent Miller barely made a profit in 2004.

Bringing Some Laughter to the Troops

"It's a lot like Palm Springs, except for the mines and the small weapons fire."

Comedian Robin Williams amused American forces at Afghanistan's Bagram air base in a pre-Christmas visit.

"Anybody here from out of town?"

Comedian David Letterman got a hearty laugh from U.S. forces in Kuwait during his pre-Christmas visit.

ACLU Holiday Carol

"Deck the halls with legal injunctions! Fa la la la la la la la la! No more public Christmas functions! Fa la la la la la la la la!"

Text in a cartoon by Fuller in Florida's Gainesville Sun.

Watering Down the Worth of a College Degree

"We have a lot of outreach to do to convince the rest of the academic world that what we're doing is legitimate."

Worcester Polytechnic Institute computer science professor David Finkel referring to his school's decision to offer a degree in computer game design that will carry the fancy title, Interactive Media and Game Development.