Heads of government are not close enough to most issues to debate them properly, so they often rubber-stamp agreements reached by officials.

ECONOMIST: Europe's Council of Ministers: Doing the splits | The

That said, a reform of Chile's stamp tax in 2002, which allowed the cost to be spread over several issues, appears to have given the commercial-paper market a healthy fillip.

ECONOMIST: Economics focus

Both oenophiles and salmon lovers can see which vineyards are taking action via Fish Friendly Farming, a certification project from the non-profit and Napa-based California Land Stewardship Institute, which gives its stamp of approval to wineries and farms that work on habitat and water-quality issues.

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