"It used to be that only rain or some other act of God could delay the World Series, " he said.

CNN: 30-minute Obama ad shows campaign muscle

Several amendments have already been tabled and accepted, including a restriction on walking at night, and Tory peers are reported to be planning a further series of "wrecking amendments" to delay the passage of the bill still further.

BBC: Countryside bill 'under threat'

As Walter Mischel showed in a series of groundbreaking studies, children who can delay gratification are more likely to go to college and less likely to end up in jail.

FORBES: What Obese People Can Learn from Pigeons

The turning point, which could delay a decision for up to a year or longer, came in a series of phone calls with Kennedy.

NPR: AP: NY Fracking Held As Cuomo, RFK Jr. Talk Health