1.   As the recent cabinet firings show, the system of checks and balances is underdeveloped, leaving the country prone to the whims of a mercurial chief executive.

2.   Recent firings by Siemens AG and Daimler-Benz AG would have been impossible just a few years ago because of the political backlash, Duane said.

3.   The Patriots learned Tuesday there are unexpected lessons born of the recent firing of defensive captain Vincent Brown.

4.   Boeing seemed stuck explaining efforts to recover from a series of costly production-line snags and the recent firing of the head of its commercial airplane group.

5.   Normally outspoken Winnie Mandela stayed quiet Friday on her recent firing from the Cabinet amid a crackdown on dissent over her dismissal.

6.   Business Week magazine said Thursday that its investigation of sexual harassment charges at Astra USA prompted the recent firing of company president Lars Bildman.