State polls seem to have turned Mr Bush's way: according to new numbers from Gallup, for instance, he now has double-digit leads in both Missouri and Ohio, which he won last time, and a tiny one-point lead in Pennsylvania, which Al Gore won.

ECONOMIST: The presidential election

It was the one fixed point on a vacillating compass of relative morality until, one day, a tiny bird, the merest wisp of red plumage, tore away my comforting absolute and aligned me squarely with the NRA supporters, Second Amendment defenders and pro-gun crusaders I had reviled.

NEWSWEEK: Culture

At one point, it even tried financing itself from the tiny savings of the poor (ie, no aid at all), though this drastic form of self-help proved a step too far: hardly any lenders or borrowers put themselves forward.

ECONOMIST: Face value

Lanzmann hid it in a bag with a tiny hole for the lens, and had one of his cameramen point it at an unsuspecting interview subject.

NEWYORKER: Witness