But they may not be able to stem the flood of illicit gems pouring out of Zimbabwe, to be snapped up in Bahrain, China, India and Lebanon, among others.

ECONOMIST: Zimbabwe and its diamonds

Let's start at the frenzied end of last week, when Floyd Landis seemed like cycling's version of Hans Brinker, trying to stem the flood of doping rumors with a number of media interviews.

NPR: Landis Facing Uphill Battle on Doping Charges