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* Watchers of Western involvement in the Ukraine's fledgling democracy say that some in the West are suffering from "Ukraine fatigue," growing impatience with political infighting that's plagued the country since 2005, when contested election results sparked the "Orange Revolution," an ensuing series of protests and political events. Some analysts say the U.S. has a "tendency to focus on elections and breakthroughs such as the Orange Revolution" and neglect "the difficult, drawn-out work of building institutions such as independent courts, free media and a vigorous civil society." (The Washington Post) They say the U.S. tends to label a country "democratic enough" and then move on to the next dictatorship.
* Voters elected Mitch Landrieu, currently Louisiana's lieutenant governor, as mayor of New Orleans, making him the first white mayor of the city since 1978.
* A blizzard incapacitated the Washington, D.C. region, totaling up to 32 inches of snow in some areas and eliciting comparisons to the Knickerbocker blizzard of 1922, which got its nickname when snow caused the roof of D.C.'s Knickerbocker Theatre to collapse; 100 people inside were crushed to death. Another storm on Tuesday is projected to bring another foot of snow to the area. About 2,000 people gathered for a spontaneous event dubbed the "Official Dupont Circle Snowball Fight," a scheduled happening (including legal disclaimer) publicized via social-networking sites and word of mouth.
* In 2002, a 15th-century marble sculpture by Tullio Lombardo on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art crashed and broke into hundreds of pieces. The statue, portraying a youthful Adam, by the Venetian sculptor was one of the most historically significant High Renaissance statues in the museum's collection. The sculpture was supposed to be repaired and back on view within two years, but even after an epic conservation research project involving Princeton scholars and digital technology on par with that used to make "Avatar," the sculpture is still probably three years from reappearing at the museum.
* The small town of Lititz, in Pennsylvania Dutch country, is an improbable haven for several notable businesses, including a warehouse where rock concert sets are built and stored (Tait Towers), Woodstream (which makes the Victor mousetrap), Wilbur Chocolate (the company makes a Hershey Kiss rival called Wilbur Buds), Sturgis Pretzels (it claims to be America's first commercial pretzel maker), and Lititz Watch Technicum, a school for Rolex watchmakers. (From the New York Times) Barry Miller, director of retail banking for Susquehanna Bankshares (a $14 billion business that chooses to keep its headquarters in Lititz) said, "There is just a formidable work ethic in Lancaster County, the hearty farmers who saw the Amish and the Mennonites working so hard. Then there is an innovative, entrepreneurial streak here, too. Finally, there is the loyalty. The owners want to give jobs to local people and keep them here forever."