It's hard for any of us to imagine the twisted mentality of those who'd offer a neighbor a ride home, attack him, chain him to the back of a truck, and drag him for miles until he finally died.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Commemorates Enactment of Hate Crimes Prevention Act | The White House

It is as true now as it ever was that the weakest part of a chain is where you should attack, and the supply chains in our modern global, hyper-connected economy are highly extended and, for larger international corporations, you can have upwards of 5, 000 to 10, 000 smaller suppliers inputting to your end products and services.

BBC: Viewpoint: Small firms prove to be weak link to hackers

So Schmidt can rest easy about the UK trying to attack that part of the chain.

FORBES: Announcement: Google Will Obey Tax Laws

Adding to Starbucks' woes, and further emphasising its similarity with McDonald's, the burger chain is about to launch a direct attack of its own.

ECONOMIST: Starbucks v McDonald's

"A huge log that took four people to lift has been put in the pen for scratching and clambering over, a buoy has been suspended on a chain from a metal chain and there is an old tyre to attack, " said a spokesperson for the Born Free Foundation.

BBC: RELATED BBC SITES

But unlike the previous poster, where our hero is about to attack two White Apes with a giant chain, this poster is a quiet image.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

Many report a downturn in business since the attack - which they suspect has in turn dissuaded many popular chain stores from bringing a much needed boost to the town.

BBC: Rebuilding but not forgetting

They suspect that even if the court finds the pair guilty, implying that the Libyan secret service ordered the attack, no one will seek to trace the order along the chain of command.

ECONOMIST: Libya and Lockerbie

Banks' change of heart follows the political attack on Starbucks late last year, when it emerged that the coffee chain paid very small amounts of tax in the UK despite having a large operation in the country.

CNN: Goldman eyes tax delay on UK bonuses