This NYT story looks at the case of a New York state corrections officer who got punted from a gym -- under police escort -- for grunting while lifting weights.

This NYT analysis looks at how the strategic ground is supposedly shifting in Iraq and why U.S. generals are arguing against the withdrawal of U.S. forces from that country.

LAT legal affairs reporter Henry Weinstein talks to Democracy Now! about the cutbacks and executive firings and takeover rumours swirling around his paper.

Some key Afghanistan stories from the past few days, including the reluctance of some NATO countries to put their troops in harm's way, and a prediction of an even-more violent 2007.

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair tells Al-Jazeera International's David Frost why the Iraq War has turned into a disaster.

Why do I think Liam Lacey's review of Casino Royale, the latest instalment in the 007 sage, is the most perceptive?

Well, it plays to my biases, and my biases are that the action films Ong Bak and Banlieue 13 (District 13) are two very influential and very under-appreciated films in the genre.

And if people are packing theatres and leaving wowed because of the phenomenal chase sequence in Africa that occurs early in Casino Royale, the filmgoers should thank those two earlier films for giving the production team of the big-budget effort some ideas to work with.