And thanks to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) -- enacted 20 years ago this week -- I had a legal right to job-protected leave.

CNN: Extend family leave to all workers

Since choosing to leave a 25-year litigation practice by starting a mediation career six years ago, I have spilled thousands of digital words and spoken to, trained and lectured thousands of men and women about the folly of zero-sum games.

FORBES: Gaza: Identifying the Winners

Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon , visited France , seeking to mend fences after he caused upset a year ago by suggesting that Jews should leave France because of anti-Semitism.

ECONOMIST: Suicide bombings in Egypt

Ten years ago it started out as a drop box service - where delivery companies could leave customers' products that had been ordered from online retailers.

BBC: Real life postage that just needs your e-mail address