American captain rescued, pirates killed, U.S. official says  —  (CNN) — The captain of the Maersk Alabama was freed Sunday after being held captive since Wednesday by pirates off the coast of Somalia, a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

Amazon Follies  —  On Amazon.com two days ago, mysteriously, the sales rankings disappeared from two newly-released high profile gay romance books: “Transgressions” by Erastes and “False Colors” by Alex Beecroft.  Everybody was perplexed.  Was it a glitch of some sort?

Warning that Pakistan is in danger of collapse within months  —  PAKISTAN could collapse within months, one of the more influential counter-insurgency voices in Washington says.  —  The warning comes as the US scrambles to redeploy its military forces and diplomats in an attempt …

Why We Don't Condemn Our Pirates — Guest Post by K'naan  —  As the first pirate attack of a U.S. ship in 200 years comes to a climax, I'm re-posting an essay I solicited and received several weeks ago from K'naan, a Somali-Canadian singer and activist.  A video of a performance by K'naan …

China Slows Purchases of U.S. and Other Bonds  —  HONG KONG — Reversing its role as the world's fastest-growing buyer of U.S. Treasuries and other foreign bonds, the Chinese government actually sold bonds heavily in January and February before resuming purchases in March, according to data released this weekend by China's central bank.

Obama girls name their new puppy ‘Bo’  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - Bo?  It's no jest.  —  The first family has settled on a first pet — a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog that the Obama girls are naming Bo.

The Pentagon's Bionic Arm  —  60 Minutes: Pentagon Is Working To Develop A Life-Changing, High Tech Prosthetic Arm  —  Page 1 of 4  —  (CBS) When Americans are wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq, no expense is spared to save their lives.  But once they're home, if they have suffered an amputation …

Crisis Altering Wall St. As Stars Begin to Scatter  —  The turning point for Stephan Jung came in February, around the time bonus checks were slashed.  A veteran of UBS, one of many banks tarnished by the financial crisis, Mr. Jung realized that the old Wall Street would not be bouncing back any time soon.

Has Dobson Thrown In The Towel?  Not Quite  —  I have already written a few posts this week trying to beat back the notion that the Religious Right is on the verge of collapse, pointing that that such declarations are made every few years and noting that right-wing leaders have repeatedly declared …