What, you thought what was most important was what the candidates said during those 90-minute face-offs?
Most important of all, the nature of most conflicts has changed over the past decade, from cold-war face-offs between well-supplied proxies to regional free-for-alls.
They all face trade-offs between investing more or keeping more cash in the bank, and all of them are more likely to invest if they think the economy will be booming in the future.
To add to United's problems, Rafael and Anderson also picked up injuries and could face long lay-offs at a crucial stage of the season.
But governments and businesses have their work cut out to persuade Asians to resume spending in the face of lay-offs, hiring freezes and salary cuts.
As for other important states, in Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul close allies of Mr Cardoso face difficult run-offs against awkward opponents, while Rio de Janeiro's next governor looks likely to be Anthony Garotinho, an unthreatening foe.
The whole fiscal cliff and debt ceiling problem has also affected labor markets, as firms, particularly in defense sectors, prepare for lay-offs in the face of uncertainty.
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What is more, it is becoming ever clearer that the big banks face a wave of write-offs on their loans.
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For Torquay, the result secured their place in the top five, and they will now face Histon in the play-offs.
It means Wigan finish sixth and will face Castleford in the play-offs.
But they now have the momentum to make a miraculous return to the Premier League, and will face Bristol City in the play-offs semi-finals.
"You've got to face the fact there are these drop-offs in ordering linked to the recession, " he said.
In doing so, the method forces into the open trade-offs that many would rather not face too squarely.
The defending champions, who slipped to their fifth defeat in six league games, are now in serious trouble at the bottom of the table and face a major battle to qualify for the play-offs, let alone retain the title.
The two sides to emerge from that process then advance to face the winners from the first-to-fourth play-offs in the final series of fixtures to determine the overall champion.
Similar to Major League Soccer (MLS) in the U.S., eight franchise teams from across India will face off against each other twice each before heading to a set of play-offs in December.
With Northampton desperately fighting for their Premiership status, the last team they would have wanted to face was Wasps, equally desperate for the points they needed to make the play-offs.
And there was more to come in the play-offs as Saints twice came from behind to beat both Warrington and Huddersfield, with Cunningham's beaming face among the try scorers each time.
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