After being lost for eight days on an unforgiving Gulf of Mexico, James Phillips now finds himself in an equally strange place.

On his way to New York City on Monday afternoon to appear on CBS' early morning news show, Phillips admitted in a phone interview that his newfound celebrity status is not the sort one fantasizes about.

Lighthouses are symbols of hope. Hope that those in unfamiliar places will find their way home again. Hope that someone will always be there to light the way. And hope that a loved one is waiting for a safe return.

President Obama has said that he would try to reduce the number of non-career appointees as U.S. envoys abroad. But the majority of his picks so far have been wealthy donors such as Minneapolis attorney Sam Kaplan. The prominent fund raiser, together with his wife, Sylvia, bundled or collected more than $100,000 for Obama's record-breaking presidential campaign.

The presence of Latino baseball players in the major leagues is an old story. Latinos were playing professional baseball in the United States as early as the 1870s, though it wasn't until after the breakdown of segregation in the late 1940s that major-league teams began to sign black Latinos.

Life finds interesting ways to bring people together.

My oldest, for example, met his wife in a bowling alley shortly before he landed a part on "Ed," a TV series that was set, I swear, in a bowling alley.

My youngest met his wife over a fence. She was visiting her grandmother, who lived next door, and he was playing basketball in our back yard.

Dear Debt Adviser,

The ouster of Japan's long-ruling -- all but 11 months since 1955 -- Liberal Democratic Party may not be quite the sea change in Japanese politics it seems.