Since the Protestant majority in Northern Ireland wants to remain a part of Great Britain, and since Ireland itself has shown little interest in reunification, the IRA's prospects for success through political channels have always been limited.

The oil market is especially sensitive even to a hint of expansion or contraction in supply.

The smartest groups, then, are made up of people with diverse perspectives who are able to stay independent of each other.

If you work for Google or Apple, stock options give you a chance to share in the increasing value of the company. In the N.F.L., nothing like this happens; the players, though rich, are just working stiffs like the rest of us.

Companies, like people, don't much like to change.

Sometimes even a smart crowd will make a mistake.

Companies often become victims of their own mythologies.