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that have largely turned out to be duds so far.
• "Just think of all the value that they have destroyed," ISI analyst Brian Marshall said. "It has been a case of just horrible management."
• Marshall traces the bungling to the reign of Carly Fiorina, who pushed through an acquisition of Compaq Computer a decade ago despite staunch resistance from many shareholders, including the heirs of HP's co-founders. After HP ousted Fiorina in 2005, other questionable deals and investments were made by two subsequent CEOS, Mark Hurd and Leo Apotheker.
• ___

• BAGHDAD (AP) -- Baghdad's embattled residents can finally get their milk

shakes, chili-cheese dogs and buckets of crispy fried chicken. Original recipe or extra spicy, of course.
• A wave of new American-style restaurants is spreading across the Iraqi capital, enticing customers hungry for alternatives to traditional offerings like lamb kebabs and fire-roasted carp.
• The fad is a sign that Iraqis, saddled with violence for years and still experiencing almost daily bombings and shootings, are prepared to move on and embrace ordinary pleasures -- like stuffing their faces with pizza.
• Iraqi entrepreneurs and investors from nearby countries, not big multinational chains, are driving the food craze. They see Iraq as an untapped market of increasingly adventurous eaters where competition is low and the potential returns are high.
• "We're fed up with traditional food," said government employee Osama al-Ani as he munched on pizza at one of the packed new restaurants last week. "We want to try something different."
• ___

• KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Attackers hit international forces, the Afghan army and Afghan civilians in two days of violence that by Monday morning had left 29 people dead -- two of them Americans soldiers killed by an Afghan colleague.

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