A new "safety net" has helped keep four dangerous drugs out of the public's hands and this week may have snared another by sounding an alarm on the diabetes drug Avandia. This watchdog is no alphabet-soup-titled federal agency.

Concerned about the growing dependence of the nation’s spy agencies on private contractors, top intelligence officials have spent months determining just how many contractors work at the C.I.A., D.I.A., F.B.I., N.S.A. and the rest of the spook alphabet soup.

Alphabet soup is a kind of soup containing noodles shaped like the letters of the Latin alphabet.Alphabet soup is available as a prepared, canned broth with letter-shaped noodles. This type of soup is usually in the condensed form, to which the consumer adds water. A popular brand of condensed-style alphabet soup is Campbell's. Alphabet-shaped pasta can also be bought, and these noodles can be added to homemade soup. It is traditionally popular with American children and may be served by parents or schools to encourage young children to learn to read. Accordingly, the marketing of the product is geared toward young children.