My thanks to both politicians for shedding some light on this disparity, although since none of us would choose to become victims of violence I still wonder whether all such compensation should be exempted from means testing, irrespective of its source.

BBC: Compensation disparity finally explained

Contrary to the claims of know-nothing critics like Bittman, such products are not only environmentally superior to conventional and (especially) organic offerings but would also offer the food industry a proven and practical means of tackling the fungal contamination at its source.

FORBES: Bittman of the 'New York Times': Always Out To Lunch

It's on ThinkSecret, which means, of course, that we can't verify the information or its source, but now the rumor on top of the pile for things we might see at Macworld in January is that the Mac mini will be given a second life as a Front Row 2.0-bearing digital media hub complete with DVR features.

ENGADGET: The new Mac mini -- with Front Row 2.0 and DVR?

In turn, that means that the Middle East will become relatively more important to Asia as its dominant energy source.

BBC: Burning issues for the world's future