Its strategists were also intensely aware that some enemies to US interests might take a crisis in one part of the world that sucked in the US military to be a green light to start trouble in another.

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It came to light the Countrywide was in serious trouble with risky unorthodox loans.

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Trouble inside and outside Sunderland's Stadium of Light prompted Northumbria Police to release "name and shame" images of suspected hooligans.

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Chrysler's PT Cruiser, a pip-squeak of a car that would have trouble hauling a rowboat, is classified as a light truck under the rules because the back seat folds flat to better carry cargo.

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Because the syringe was destroyed, investigators are having trouble determining the accelerant the suspect tried to use to light the explosive.

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And then there is the new app Waze, which cues you in to trouble spots around town when you stop at a traffic light.

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All the same, there are lots of ways to get in trouble driving a car, using kitchen knives or changing a light bulb.

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Investigators were having trouble determining what the accelerant AbdulMutallab allegedly tried to use to light the explosives because "the syringe was pretty much destroyed, " a law enforcement source told CNN.

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He says the trouble is that the moment when things are supposed to get better - that "light" which Mr Monti sees - just seems to keep receding.

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