The first sign of trouble was a tiny burst of light in the western sky over the United States.

VOA: special.2009.07.22

Things cannot be as bad as they seem." He stood over the body of his wife in the disappearing light.

VOA: special.2009.10.31

Does it need refinement in some way?" "And if it does need some adjustment in light of the events that have taken place over the last number of months, including the election and so on, and then what are the implications of that in terms of General McChrystal's resource request?" The secretary said the United States will not abandon its core mission in Afghanistan, which President Obama described as the destruction of the al-Qaida terrorist network, because it is "critical" to U.S.national security.

VOA: standard.2009.10.23