When Sarah Palin comes to your house for dinner, do not invite John McCain's campaign manager, Steve Schmidt; his top aide, Nicole Wallace; or CBS anchor Katie Couric. They come in for a real beating as America's most interesting politician settles scores that still rankle from the 2008 presidential campaign in "Going Rogue: An American Life."

LAS VEGAS - Grandiose pronouncements were uttered about when and where negotiations would begin for a proposed fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Boxing insiders were speculating about the contentiousness and hostility those talks would breed.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, avoided the conjecture.

He was already getting down to the nitty-gritty.

WASHINGTON - Unfortunately, the government's decision to prosecute the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in a civilian court and the prospect of an eventual traumatic trial of the mass murderer of 13 persons at Fort Hood, Tex., hold the distinct possibility of exacerbating already virulent anti-Muslim sentiment in this country.

If residents of Quebec province in Canada have seen reduced waiting times at flu vaccination centers, they can thank the wonderful world of Disney.

LAS VEGAS - As a real-time indicator of how confident American consumers feel about spending their money, earnings of the big casino operators on the Las Vegas Strip haven't inspired much confidence lately.

As America's trade with the Far East -- principally China -- expanded massively during the 1980s and 1990s, California reaped the benefits as the gateway for both exports and imports.

With trade emerging as a major component of the state's very diverse economy, traffic and payrolls blossomed at its major ports.