The city's financial and administrative systems relied on the world's first known system of writing, cuneiform, which was used to record transactions, issue receipts and compile inventories.

WSJ: The Ur-Metropolis | Uruk | Pergamon Museum | By A.J. Goldmann

Already, several shareholder activist groups of generally liberal persuasion, including labor unions like the AFL-CIO, are planning to compile detailed studies and "rate" funds on their voting record.

FORBES: Oh, No, More Disclosure

Holdings of physically-backed ETFs hit record highs this month, according to analysts who compile and track the data.

FORBES: ETF Securities' Brooks: Short-, Long-Term Gold Participants Can Have Varying Reactions To Fiscal Cliff