Upriver here and at the Sandrift River, which runs parallel 10 miles to the east, the colour of the water is striking - imagine looking into a cup of strong, dark coffee.

BBC: The perfect trip: South Africa

Foods that turn her off include Starbucks dark roast coffee, radishes and most hard liquors, she says.

WSJ: People Who Taste Too Much

It is impossible, for they vary in tone from coffee-dark to milky white.

ECONOMIST: Race in Brazil

Back at his small artisan factory, Il Gusto della Costa, Valentino brews some lemon coffee: dark espresso with two thin slices of peel in the pot.

BBC: Live the good life on the Amalfi Coast

But wait at the coffee shops after dark to talk to some of Muscat's bloggers and tweeters and a different picture emerges, of tell-tale clicks on the line during phone conversations, of unusual activity on Facebook pages.

BBC: Why social media - not violence - could bring change to Oman

Today's porters are made a bit differently: Instead of blending in old beer, brewers enrich a lighter base beer with a dash of dark brown, caramel or coffee malt as well as, often, a liberal dose of potent American hops for extra kick.

WSJ: Porters Get Fresh | Half Full

In Thailand, devotees are burning black joss sticks and presenting eight black offerings, including black-feathered chickens and coffee, to appease the dark angel in the run-up to the eclipse.

CNN: HE GODS WERE DRINKING

It smells like cocoa powder, and bitter chocolate, and tastes of rich roasted malt, chocolate and coffee, with a hint of dark cherries.

FORBES: Buckbean Brewing Redefines Reno

In passing, we will talk about good versus evil, irrational exuberance versus dark euphoria, techno-utopian abundance versus collapsonimics, and good places to get coffee while watching the world end (or get taken over by Skynet).

FORBES: The Electric Leviathan