Do any Chicagoistas know why there have been cops and dogs everywhere on the red line downtown for the last week or two? I thought maybe it was Bush-related, but he is gone and the canines remain.

Maybe Chicago is instituting random security checks the way they are on the MBTA in the Boston area.

Connie, re your NCIS questions, major spoilers following for you:

1) Gibbs and DiNozzo: Gibbs likes his domination games, and Tony is terribly eager to please, and what with recent developments on the show, they're playing that up like whoa. I mean, it's been blatant.

2) DiNozzo and McGee: Dude, it came out of nowhere, really.

3) McGee and Abby: They're still cute and dorkalicious, but it is unclear whether they are dating or not. And who knows, Abby might share McGee if they were. Also, lately it's been very Abby/Gibbs-ish.

4) Sexy terrorist: He did come back. A lot. And he did some very bad things, and now he is dead.

5) Kate: Is, well, dead. Shot by the sexy terrorist. Sexy terrorist was killed by his sister Ziva, who is now working at NCIS as Tony's partner. They are playing up the Tony/Ziva UST in, I think, a much better way than they handled Tony and Kate, which mostly made me want to slap them silly.

Re NCIS: Kate's daid. One or two seasons ago, I think. There's now a female mossad agent in her place. And shrift provides a much better rundown than I do.

My mouse is being stupid and randomly refusing to go left. Amazing how utterly infuriating that can be. And how damned stubborn I can be.

My mouse is being stupid and randomly refusing to go left.

Put your cats to work...oh, you mean your computer mouse!

My mouse is being stupid and randomly refusing to go left. Amazing how utterly infuriating that can be. And how damned stubborn I can be.

Is it a mechanical mouse? Those need to be cleaned once in a while.

NCIS--Huh!

I liked Kate, dammit, but that's an interesting way to take it. At least sexy terrorist was true to himself at the end--I imagine, he struck me as 'I think you're cute, but I'll shoot you dead without a qualm if you get in my way'. He was refreshing.

I'm sure Gibbs was peeved. But Gibbs is always peeved. He was probably peeved that he didn't get to do the deed himself.

How's Ducky? And did Gerald ever come back?

Put your cats to work...oh, you mean your computer mouse!

Oddly enough, my first reaction was to think of a mammal mouse. So I was thinking, "Why won't the mouse go left? Why does sarameg want it to go left? Does left lead to the door? Is she trying to get it to run through a maze?"

Considering the vast majority of my mouse trauma involves the little furry once-breathing kind, I'm not surprised some might have a pause or two to parse that statement.

Warning!

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Some of Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod digital music players shipped in the past month carry a computer virus, according to a posting on Apple's technical support Web site.

Check your news sites

Man travels 70 miles with a pickaxe after Yahoo chat flame

Paul Gibbons, 47, tracked down John Jones using details obtained online after the pair exchanged insults in an internet chatroom, a court heard.

He travelled 70 miles to Mr Jones' home in Clacton, Essex, and beat him up with a pickaxe handle in December 2005.