What for many people would be regarded as the culmination of a life's work, Mr Simon took almost casually, a diversion.

ECONOMIST: Herbert Simon

Economists may doubt that all this could go along with the price stability, hard-won by Mr Cardoso, that Mr da Silva almost casually promises to preserve.

ECONOMIST: Brazil

He said this casually, almost matter-of-factly, with a kind of amused air that indicated that, if this had happened, it would not have been a big deal.

NEWYORKER: Ghosts

He spoke longer -- almost twice as long as McCain -- and much more casually than the senator, and sometimes in a humorous way.

CNN: National security takes center stage