But the basic offering remains largely unaltered despite protestations to the contrary by business school leaders.

FORBES: Shredding the MBA Straitjacket

Life Gem, a small company based near Chicago, has started offering diamonds made from the cremated remains of people and pets.

ECONOMIST: For $4,000 you can now wear a loved one on your finger

The rest of the year, Tiradentes remains sleepy, with its starred establishments offering an eclectic mix that runs the gamut from artery-clogging comida Mineira (local foods) to contemporary Brazilian cuisine steeped in the Slow Food movement.

BBC: Tiradentes: The culinary goldmine of Brazil

"While the outlook remains pretty overcast for the aviation industry, the winners will be those airlines that focus on offering the best customer service, " said Steve Ridgway, Virgin Atlantic's chief executive.

BBC: Business travellers boost Virgin

Overall, the group feels that AMD has at least closed the gap a bit on Intel's Core juggernaut with a much better FX offering this time around, but overall the desktop CPU landscape remains unchanged -- with Intel still firmly at the top of the heap.

ENGADGET: AMD FX-8350 review roundup: enthusiasts still won't be totally enthused

But of all my wonderful memories, a single encounter with a monk offering to share an umbrella on a cold Christmas Eve remains the single most formative experience of my life.

FORBES: The Magical Umbrella: How a Monk's Christmas Gift Changed My Life

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that remains on the table, and he dismissed reports that Moscow is offering a last-minute compromise to allow Iran to produce small quantities of enriched uranium at home.

NPR: Iran's Nuclear Demands Strain U.S.-Russian Ties