Headlines on the Day of My Son's Birth

I may be among the last generation to buy the daily newspaper to mark momentous dates in my life, but that's just what I did last Friday when my son, Oliver Weinert Kendt, was born. (He was a full seven weeks premature, but he's a hearty 5 lbs. and doing extremely well in the St. Vincent NICU.)

The New York Times greeted the day, July 3, 2009, with this news:

Marines Land in Caldron of Afghan Resentment

A New Strategy On Illicit Work By Immigrants

Coffers Empty, California Pays With I.O.U.'s

Joblessness Hits 9.5%, Deflating Recovery Hopes

Pay-for-Chat Plan Falls Flat at Washington Post

and (wait for it...)

Neverland Never So Forlorn

I comfort myself in remembering that my parents were born during the height of the Depression, with WWII on its way, and they turned out just fine. (And beloved celebrities died in 1935, too.)