SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:45 P.M. ET: 

AWFUL – From The New York Post:  "An 8-year-old Afghan girl wearing a suicide vest has been detained by police in Afghanistan.  She was detained on Sunday night in Helmand province, as she tried to carry out an attack against border police wearing a suicide jacket, a spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry told the BBC."  Repeat after me:  President Obama says the war on terror is over.

JUSTICE:  From The New York Times:  "PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge on Monday sentenced a Pennsylvania woman to 10 years in prison for her part in a plan to murder a Swedish cartoonist whose images of the Prophet Muhammad offended Muslims.  The woman, Colleen R. LaRose, who used 'Jihad Jane' as an online alias, pleaded guilty to four charges, including conspiring to aid terrorists and to kill a person in a foreign country, after she plotted with jihadists she encountered on the Internet to kill the cartoonist, Lars Vilks.."  Repeat after me:  President Obama says the war on terror is over.

PROGRESS? – From AP:  "Panasonic unveiled a product Monday that combines two big tech trends — ultra HD and wearable devices— with a portable, camera that hooks onto your ear and records in ultra-high definition 4K video."  I can think of a million embarrassing uses.  The next trend will be a wearable defense lawyer. 

PRESENTED AS A PUBLIC SERVICE – From Fox:  "Monday, January 6, 2014, is what some psychological researchers call 'Blue Monday.'  Millions are returning to work after time off for the holidays and they're facing the facts -- the big price tag that came with all the gifts.  Others are worried about weather, or relationship trouble, or their New Year's resolutions.  'Blue Monday,' which is said to be the most miserable day of the year, was originally calculated to be at the end of the month.  But researchers analyzed tweets over the past few years and found that Monday, January 6, 2014 is the day the most people feel sad and guilty.

January 6,  2014