Russia has made abundantly clear it wants Qatar to focus on Asia, to sell its gas under long-term contracts and stop feeding European spot market liquidity.

FORBES: Doha's Double Hedge

Sensible intervention cannot even buy long-term relief: the plan cannot stop house prices falling and the bloated financial sector shrinking.

ECONOMIST: America's bail-out plan

Also, the Fed was planning to stop buying medium- and long-term Treasurys in October, removing a large source of demand.

FORBES: On The Cover/Top Stories

So this is a temporary stop on what I believe is the long-term, outstanding prospect for American growth and greatness.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Makes a Statement on the Sequester

At an analysts' conference a few weeks ago, he suggested that a sale might be the best thing for long-term shareholder value and that he would not let personal considerations stop a deal.

ECONOMIST: The telecoms end-game

His mother Sally lost her fight to stop him having the treatment fearing it would do him long-term harm.

BBC: Neon Roberts: 'Good progress' of boy in brain tumour case

With most of the funds tied up in long-term assets, that could leave the banks short of cash if investors stop buying new products.

WSJ: China Tightens Regulations on Wealth Management

This shield does not stop all the cosmic rays from getting though, and its effectiveness varies with the long-term changes in the activity of the Sun, which can rise and fall on a timescale of centuries.

BBC: Viewpoint: The Sun and climate change