But any attempt to swing the balance from humanitarian aid to development aid comes against the imperative of saving the starving today.

ECONOMIST: The Horn of Africa

"The development of new reservoirs is imperative, " said Daniel Berglund, a 49-year-old rice farmer in Markham, Texas, who said he woke up at 1:15 a.m.

WSJ: Texas Rice Farmers Lose Their Water

For Microsoft, encouraging the development of Windows 8-style apps has a broader imperative than just propping up the Surface RT (or Windows RT in general).

ENGADGET: Switched On: Tablets and tradeoffs