By essentially refusing to address the issues its founder raised, Chick-Fil-A just made a lot of people madder.

FORBES: How Chick-Fil-A's Social-Media Bungle Fueled a Gay-Rights Backlash

Called rose madder or purpurin, the dye was apparently used in ancient civilizations for dying fabrics in oranges, reds and pinks.

ENGADGET: Scientists develop eco battery powered by root-extracted dye

The colours used are mainly natural: reds, blues, browns and whites produced from dyestuffs including madder, indigo, lettuce leaf, walnut skin, cherry stem and pomegranate skin.

UNESCO: Culture

In fact, if the first week of December is any indication, there may be an even madder dash to the finish line for the rest of the year.

FORBES: Piped Aboard

Well by January of next year, after what HMV hopes will be a traditional Christmas rush rather madder than last year's, it should be clear whether it will swim or sink.

BBC: HMV: Two years to shape up

Few things are sadder than a child whose Christmas stocking is not filled, and few things are madder than a parent rushing around at the last minute making sure that doesn't happen.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Asia Buzz: Bah, Humbug

That's exactly what the whiz-kids from the City College of New York, Rice University and the US Army Research Laboratory have done with a new lithium-ion battery powered by red dye extracted from madder roots.

ENGADGET: Scientists develop eco battery powered by root-extracted dye

This week held some truly unexpected breakthroughs as scientists in China figured out a way to create brain cells from human urine, and researchers at Rice University and CUNY developed batteries that are fueled by the dye from madder roots.

ENGADGET: Inhabitat's Week in Green: madder root batteries, sun-powered plane and the world's first fiber-optic solar cell