Joseph Biden and Sarah Palin entered last night's vice presidential debate with different challenges. As the Republican nominee, Palin had to persuade Americans she was sufficiently bright and capable to serve as commander-in-chief if the unthinkable happened. Given nominee John McCain's relatively advanced age, this is a serious concern, one which grew sharply after his choice of Palin, a virtual unknown on the national political scene. And after Palin's shaky, awkward interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric, it's fair to say the media's knives were out for her.

The actuary advising the University of California on its pension plan had bad news last month. Henceforth, the university and its employees must resume contributing to UC's pension fund. For 18 years, exceptional returns on investment covered monthly payments to retirees. No more.

Perhaps the Legislature passed AB 2279 out of compassion. This bill, carried by Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, would have prohibited employers from firing or not hiring most workers who have a medical marijuana recommendation, or those who test positive for the drug in a pre-employment or random drug test.