With a central span of 1, 991 metres (6, 532 feet), the Akashi Kaikyo bridge, which opens on April 5th, between Kobe and Awaji Island in Osaka Bay, is bigger than Britain's Humber bridge and longer than the Great Belt East bridge that has just been built in Denmark.

ECONOMIST: The bridge to nowhere in particular

Increasing feed costs, in combination with withering grasslands in the Great Plains and Corn Belt regions, are prompting ranchers to downsize beef and dairy herds.

FORBES: The Ethanol Mandate: Drought Only Compounds Inherent Catastrophic Consequences

Demand for corn is such that more land is also being ploughed up in drier regions of the Great Plains states to the west of the corn belt, where irrigation in required, increasing water demand further.

ECONOMIST: New reasons to be suspicious of ethanol

The great advantage of travelling with the secretary is never having to go through passport control or wait by the luggage belt.

BBC: On the road with Hillary Clinton

Blu-ray has a month under it's belt and it is pretty apparent that the picture quality is great, but second to HD DVD.

ENGADGET: How much of an impact is picture quality on the format war? HD

Whatever the actual sum and cheaper oil will mean some belt-tightening even in the Gulf that is a great deal of cash, and even more so considering that the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council is home to fewer than 40m people.

ECONOMIST: The Gulf��s plans for its petrodollars

Many Corn Belt regions where distillers are sited, particularly in the Midwest and the Great Plains, have already begun to experience significant water supply problems.

FORBES: Biofuels: Fields Of Pipedreams

They have handy features like cuffable bottoms you can send to the tailor for perfect fit, belt loops, an underrated raingear feature, and great inside pockets.

FORBES: Best Gear for the Traveling Golfer

The new Ang Lee film is not about the great historical happening of forty years ago but about Elliot Teichberg (Demetri Martin), whose parents run a Borscht Belt motel.

NEWYORKER: Taking Woodstock