We timed our visit, earlier this month, to coincide with one of the annual rounds of meetings of scientists and officials - but we had no idea whether anyone would welcome the prospect of a television camera in their midst, let alone talk to us.

BBC: Inside the world��s most ��impossible�� science project

How Republicans and Democrats in Washington choose to answer that question will have a major impact on the next four months for the US economy, let alone four years.

BBC: US election: Four more years... of what?

What it has to tell us of life, let alone suffering, beyond the savage enchantment of the movies could be written on the head of a bullet.

NEWYORKER: Sin City

Fearing for their jobs, neither engineer would permit us to record them, let alone name them.

NPR: Challenger: Reporting a Disaster's Cold, Hard Facts

Yet some of the book's pivotal figures, notably Klara Sax, an artist who turns disused bombers into a gigantic sculpture, do not excite enough interest to carry us through dozens of pages, let alone hundreds.

ECONOMIST: A less-than-great American novel

It does not appear anywhere in the acclaimed US News and World Report lists of high-performing schools in Maryland, let alone nationwide - even in the subsets of STEM or charter schools.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: A Turkish 'Trojan Horse' for Loudoun?

It's amazing how many artists come to us saying, 'We've never even seen a statement for that, let alone received a cheque.

BBC: Indie music label Cherry Red rocks on at 35

Philip Gordon may not be a household name in Washington DC let alone in the UK but as assistant secretary for European affairs he is the most senior official in the US State Department who deals with Europe.

BBC: US official's comments illustrate Cameron's EU dilemma

But one thing is certain, cucumbers, when they turn violent on mammalian consumers, remind us how fickle nature can be when it comes to issues of life and death, let alone global economic analysis, at least in human terms.

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