Koichi Nakano of Sophia University in Tokyo points out that Japan's distorted electoral map exaggerates the size of the defeat: the DPJ lost heavily against LDP candidates in depopulated rural areas that are considered to be the opposition's heartland, but which produce a disproportionate number of seats.

ECONOMIST: Japan's upper-house elections

At one of Gore's main rivals, Associated Air Center in Dallas, the company keeps track of its sales with little flags stuck into a wall-size world map outside its sales office.

WSJ: Demand Soars for Firms That Fit Out Private Jets

On a good night, this camera will be able to map a swathe of sky approximately the size of the Plough's blade (or, for North Americans, the Big Dipper's bucket).

ECONOMIST: The Sloan star survey