"It seems like Mr Cameron is going to beat the rush because international consensus seems to be that reform is heading in the right direction and the way the west should engage with Myanmar is changing, " he said.

BBC: PM's Burma visit 'a bold move'

Given that his cancer was a single, small tumor caught early and surgically removed successfully, Jobs seems like a candidate to beat the odds and live a long life.

FORBES: All Eyes On Apple And Jobs

It's a sacrifice the company seemingly made in the name of keeping costs low -- one of the few fronts the company seems willing to admit it got beat by the Kindle Fire HD.

ENGADGET: Nook HD review: a high-def tablet with the heart of a reader

And now, a story that seems to illustrate the old adage if you can't beat them, join them.

NPR: Google Tries to Bridge Newspaper, Web Ad Contracts

Costco, it seems, is making a large dividend payment this December to help shareholders beat upcoming tax increases.

FORBES: Is Costco's Jim Sinegal A Hypocrite ?

Both companies have somehow beat out the Poop Cruise company Carnival, which seems to me like a no-brainer for the award this year.

FORBES: EA Responds To Worst Company In America Contest: 'We Can Do Better'

But with competitors already bringing smaller tablet form factor products to market at more affordable prices, it seems likely that Apple will respond rather than sit on the sidelines as other companies look to beat it in a market that it helped create if not re-create.

FORBES: Apple's iPad Mini - Who Wins, Who Loses?

Even as Europe seems to be sliding into a genuine handset market slump, China is still acting as a counterbalance, continuing to beat handset and particularly 3G device volume sales projections made at the beginning of 2011.

FORBES: China 3G Growth Is Still Offsetting European Weakness