It used to be fairly common, though no one's done it in almost 27 years.

WSJ: Martin Brodeur: Just 891 More Goals to Catch Gretzky

Anyone who's done it talks almost mystically about painful days on the bike, about the serenity achieved by pedaling through the agony.

WSJ: Taylor Phinney: This Is Not a Story About Last Place��Jason Gay

"Ethanol, by the time it's all said and done, almost doesn't save any oil, " Stedman said.

CNN: Ethanol: Is it friend or foe?

In fact, it's almost certainly the signals coming out of the world's central banks that have done most to send stock markets up this year.

BBC: On markets and helicopters