According to today’s Hartford Courant, the Groton Sub Base will remain open.

This is good news for the economy of southeastern Connecticut, which depends heavily on the military families who reside there to stay afloat.

I’m not sure that a steady long-term diet of casinos, the military, and the pharmaceutical industry is a healthy one, but until a better solution is devised, I am pleased to see that Groton and its surrounding areas will not have to drop off the map.

The National Zoo has announced the public will play a role in naming the new panda baby.

Unfortunately, none of the names translate to Butterstick, what we Washingtonians have taken to calling the little tyke, since his birth last month.

The names you can choose from:

• Hua Sheng — magnificent or China-Washington
• Sheng Hua — magnificent or Washington-China
• Tai Shan — peace mountain
• Long Shan — dragon mountain
• Qiang Qiang — strong or powerful

I don’t know. They sound like a whole slew of Michaels and Ashleys to me…

I awoke this morning with a start, realizing Rudi and I had overslept the alarm somehow. We both had doctor’s appointments this morning, and Rudi’s would require battling traffic to get up to the Maryland border.

I got up in the semi-darkness of the apartment, used the bathroom and turned on the living room light. Then I went and woke Rudi up.

“What time is it?” he asked groggily.

“How weird. The clock says 2:20.”

“Check my cell phone.”

“Nope. My phone says 2:20, too. Nevermind. Go back to sleep,” I mumbled as I slid back into bed.

This is why you should never set your alarm for before the sun gets up. It’s just too easy to get confused.