The leading article in today’s New York Times is titled, “Supermarket Rescue Beats Dimming Odds in Haiti.” It describes new developments in Haiti including the rescue of a seven-year-old girl who ate fruit rolls while she was trapped in an air hole in a supermarket.

According to the article, the rescue effort seems to be improving with 100 flights a day landing at the Port-Au-Prince airport, priority being given to those carrying water. There also seems to be relatively little looting and violence though the aid is still significantly inadequate compared to the need.

At last, there is some report of movement from the Haitian government where there was a cabinet meeting. Many of the people, however, are calling for the return of the ousted Jean-Bertrand Aristide. On another front, there also appears to be increased engagement by the United Nations even though they have been widely criticized for the slowness of their response.

The whole situation is heart-breaking. You have three million people with no food or water, and reports talk about 70,000 bags of water distributed. That’s enough for one day for a very low percentage of the affected population. Progress is frustratingly slow; the streets are still littered with bodies; and the Haitian police are now shooting looters dead … looters who just want something to drink and something to eat.

Amazingly, though there is still hope in Haiti. Yesterday, churchgoers prayed outside of their collapsed churches in a sign of faith in a better tomorrow. One can only hope their prayers are answered.

The lead article in today’s New York Times is titled, “Patience Wears Thin as Haiti’s Desperation Grows.” It describes the current situation in Haiti after the devastating 7.0 earthquake.

Finally, the United States seems to be imposing some order. The airport, previously operated in a chaotic manner, was taken over by Americans and the FAA who now requires advance permission to land for any airplane. Humanitarian aid is an exception, but clear regulations were provided that they must have at least an extra hour’s worth of fuel to circle the airport, if necessary.

About 10,000 U.S. troops have arrived or are on the verge of arriving to pass out aid and maintain order. The United Nations has started to supply food though only to a fraction of those who need it, 8,000 out of an estimated two to three million who desperately need assistance.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on her way to the region, and the Obama administration must be praised, regardless of your party, for its swift response to the crisis. There is limited looting and violence though things seem to have remained calm, at least for now.

One of the major problems seems to be disposal of the bodies, currently lying in the street and decomposing. It must be a horrific scene, and it should give us some pause to be thankful for our current well-being.

The lead article in today’s New York Times is titled, “Hopes Fade in Quake-Ravaged Haiti, and Anger Rises.” It describes the current situation in Haiti where the residents of the capital city, Port-Au-Prince, are in urgent need of assistance.

According to the article, the first U.S. troops have started to arrive, and the U.S. Air Force has assumed command of the airport where hectic operations seemed to be on the verge of thwarting the widespread outpouring of aid. The picture painted of the situation is truly alarming. Bodies are piling up in the streets, and there is no heavy equipment to save people who may be still alive under collapsed buildings. The President of Haiti said that 7,000 people have been buried in a mass grave.

It’s so sad that the people of Haiti, after all they’ve been through, the crushing poverty, the stripping of the country’s resources by dictators, must suffer even more. I was glad to see President Obama address the situation immediately, promise $100 million in aid and the deployment of troops.

It does make you wonder about the justice of all this, the reason why, the metaphysics. I know that God is in charge and have faith there will be some good that comes out of all this. But I think the best thing for us to do right now, in addition to the humanitarian assistance, is pray for the people of Haiti.

The lead article in today’s New York Times is titled, “Google May End Venture in China Over Censorship.” It describes a decision by the company to leave China after its software was hacked in an attempt to gain access to Gmail accounts belonging to Chinese human rights activists.

The decision by Google should be commended as an altruistic reaction to increasingly sophisticated attacks on its security systems and source code. It seems like the latest incidents were the straw that broke the camels back. Google had previously agreed to block searches for terms like Tiananmen Square massacre or the Dalai Lama.

According to the article, Google’s action represents one of the first times a respected international business left China. Their departure is especially powerful because they will be losing Internet ad revenues from about 300 million Chinese web users.

China may have anticipated problems as their country has been promoting an alternate search engine, Baidu. The article states that Baidu has been steadily gaining market share over Google.

Google had faced difficulties with the Chinese government in the past. It was forced to disable a function that lets the search engine suggest terms to its users. And at one point, nationwide access to Google and Gmail was blocked. 

Anyway, kudos to Google for doing the right thing.

The lead article in today’s New York Times is titled, “New Jersey Vote Backs Marijuana for Severely Ill.” It describes the passage of a new law by the New Jersey State government to allow the distribution of marijuana to suffering citizens, with multiple restrictions.

The restrictions include a set list of diseases, a prohibition of patients growing their own marijuana, a limit of two ounces per month and strict tracking of the drug similar to the procedure followed for opiates and methadone. The bill garnered wide support from both Democrats and Republicans despite opposition from some law enforcement officials, educators and Governor-elect Chris Christie.

In my opinion, the law is a test of maturity. Despite all the jokes about marijuana, this law is not about some teenagers getting high. It is about people who are really suffering, sometimes terminally, who are treating a specific set of symptoms. The law is also a test of compassion. It involves empathy for very sick people and does not concern any ideological position.

As an indication of the law’s intent, you just need to look at the terrible diseases it is aimed at: cancer, AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, muscular dystrophy and sclerosis. The law will set up six locations to receive the drug, and they will open in about nine months.

The lead article in today’s New York Times is titled, “Drone Flights Leave Military Awash in Data.” It describes some of the issues involved in the increasing use of drones, especially by the Air Force.

The main problem, similar to the attempted Christmas Day bombing, is the volume of the data. Just last year, the military captured so much data that it would take 24 years to watch if viewed continuously. In addition to the most publicized purpose, striking at terrorists in the mountainous regions of Pakistan, the drones also play a crucial surveillance role in stopping roadside bombs and protecting areas where troops will be entering.

According to the article, the Air Force is still lagging behind the television industry in using tools such as telestrators. However, in my opinion, the main problem still concerns the volume of data. The military must develop automatic ways to categorize it, beyond the initial review for any mortal dangers. One of my clients provides an audio tool for call centers with a large volume of communications. This tool uses speech analytics so supervisors can categorize phone calls and pick out the ones useful for training purposes. I’m sure the Air Force could develop similar technology for video.

The lead article in today’s New York Times is titled, “85,00 More Jobs Cut in December, Fogging Outlook.” The article lists the latest economic statistics and their possible impact on the Obama administration.

The unemployment rate for December remains in double digits at 10.0 percent, and some economists predict it will get worse. For the unemployment rate to stabilize, the economy needs to add 100,000 new jobs every month to match the rate of growth in the work force.

Economists had expected a job loss of about 10,000 jobs so the current statistics are significantly worse. However, to put the numbers into perspective, at one point during the recession, we were losing 700,000 jobs per month.

The Obama administration is faced with a dilemma. The Republicans are making a lot of noise about the size of the deficit; however, the economy still needs a significant boost, and trying to re-balance the budget at this point could throw us into a double-dip recession. Paradoxically, if we do try to balance the budget, and this happens, the deficit will become even worse because of the impact on revenues.

I’m not an economist, but I recognize when we seem to be between a rock and a hard place. President Obama will have to walk a tightrope, with the Republicans trying to sabotage him every step of the way. I still think there’s hope, though. The strength of the American people, our inherent creativity and work ethic, and especially our resilience, will see us through this tunnel to the light at the other side.

The lead story in today’s New York Times is titled, “E.P.A. Seeks Tighter Rules to Cut Down Air Pollution.” It describes a new standard by the Environmental Protection Agency to lower smog levels. The new standard will set a limit for ground-level ozone of .060 to .070 parts per million compared to the widely criticized weaker level proposed by the outgoing Bush administration of .075

While the Agency estimated the cost of compliance between $19 billion and $90 billion, it also estimated savings in healthcare costs up to $100 billion per year. Currently, only 322 of 675 counties meet the .075 standard, 160 meet 0.70 and only 15 meet .060.

However, it’s far more important, in my opinion, that agency analysts predict the law will prevent 12,000 premature deaths per year from heart and lung diseases including bronchitis and asthma. How long will we place the needs of companies — the American Petroleum Institute opposes the regulation for economic reasons — ahead of the health of our citizens.

Though the article appears like very good news, I was a little discouraged to read the timeline for implementation, buried near the end of the article on page three. States must submit plans for compliance by the end of 2013, and the new rules would be phased in between 2014 and 2031, with the deadline longer for regions with more dirty air.

The lead article in The New  York Times today is titled, “Democrats Wary as Two Senators Decide to Retire.” It describes the resignations of Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and discusses the implications for the November election.

The article notes that the Democrats are likely to lose their 60-vote majority in the Senate and about 20 to 25 seats in the House but quotes Democratic party officials and analysts who predict the Democrats will maintain their overall majority in both chambers. However, losing the 60-vote majority in the Senate could affect the ability to pass controversial legislation, such as the healthcare bill, in the future.

In my opinion, the Democrats should be slightly worried, but it’s not time to panic yet. Senator Dodd will be replaced by Connecticut Attorney General Blumenthal who will be a popular candidate. And, as the article notes, there will be more open seats available through Republican resignations than Democratic ones.

One day can be like a year in politics, and events are unpredictable, especially for 11 months into the future. If the healthcare bill passes, unemployment dips slightly, and the President learns his job better (yes, we now have a President who is capable of learning!), the atmosphere could change in a matter of weeks.

For the sake of our country, I’m hoping all that occurs.

The lead article in today’s New York Times is titled, “Iran is Shielding Nuclear Efforts in Tunnel Mazes.” It describes the scope of Iran’s efforts to hide its nuclear facilities in tunnels dispersed across the nation.

The tunnels provide an effective defense against the military option by the United States and especially Israel, described in the article as having more limited intelligence necessary to locate and destroy the tunnels.  The article notes three characteristics making it difficult to counter Iran’s nuclear development program: 1) well hidden, 2) widely dispersed, and 3) deeply buried.

Further bad news involves President Ahmadinejad’s background: he began his career as a transportation engineer and founded the Iranian Tunneling Association in 1998. Previously, during the 1980s war with Iraq, Iran began its tunneling program for shelter from waves of missiles.

As a counterpoint, the United States is currently developing a tunnel weapon known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. Due to be deployed next summer, it is ten times more powerful than its predecessor, and 20 feet long with thousands of pounds of explosives. It will be carried by the Stealth bomber and is specially designed for deep tunnels.

The problem with all these efforts, however, is that Iran has created a maze of decoy tunnels as well. And we only need to miss one area, one receptacle with a newly developed bomb for the whole effort to fail. This speaks volumes in favor of the Obama administration’s policy of engagement albeit with the big stick of sanctions included.