With regard to Pakistan, and why we've been supporting the dictator there, it's all coming into focus (in my mind, at least).

"Dictators need crisis to perpetuate their rule and therefore have an interest in keeping extremism alive, she added."

Classic. However, why do I get the feeling that Bhutto's either going to get turned away from the country like Sharif was or end up dead?

In their own words...Blackwater U.S.A.: "We are not simply a 'private security company.' We are a professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations firm who provides turnkey solutions." That's modern gobbledygook for one word: mercenary. Mercenaries like, say, the Hessians? Yep, it looks like it.

I've been searching the internet to see if anyone else is questioning the methods of Oakland A's trainer Larry Davis. I don't know what goes on in the clubhouse, but it seems to be a pattern for the A's, multiple injuries every year. I have just begun the search, and right out the gates comes this article from 2004. At first I thought it was this year based on the quote: If there was ever a time when the trainer was this busy in his 20 years with the team, he can't remember. He'd rather be in the clubhouse watching TV or doing routine maintenance. Or something...

Is it me, or do the A's need to reconsider retaining their trainer? Maybe it's time for a fresh perspective.