Reporter Richard Watson said that, in general terms, it was not out of the ordinary for the security service to approach people for information or even to act as covert sources.

BBC: Woolwich attack: MI5 'offered job to suspect'

He travelled back to Nairobi along with his officials, while ordinary passengers were banned for security reasons.

BBC: Kenyan capital Nairobi gets new train

Perhaps, but the mutual security of an ordinary employment contract disappears.

BBC: Zero hours contracts for NHS staff explained

His nearly 100 patented creations include a dictionary, a train-switching system and, most recently, a service that turns an ordinary pager into a personal security device.

CNN: New features to slow the onslaught of mobile phones

He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security and give him an "ordinary" life.

BBC: Profile: Jon Venables

Yet restoring security is the biggest concern among ordinary Iraqis.

ECONOMIST: Still dangerous

Moreover, this conflict has come with a larger cost to the Middle East, as it impedes partnerships that could bring greater security and prosperity and empowerment to ordinary people.

WHITEHOUSE: Moment of Opportunity: American Diplomacy in the Middle East & North Africa | The White House

Social Security is in the best shape of any of these, because basically the cost of Social Security will just go up with ordinary inflation, whereas health care costs are going up much faster than inflation.

WHITEHOUSE: Help for Homeowners in the Hardest Hit States

But the American people support Social Security and Medicare, and they support an economy that creates jobs for ordinary workers.

CNN: Look beyond the fiscal cliff