Here's the Beeb's lede on the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos:

Climate change, the rise of Asia and the next web revolution will dominate the agenda when the World Economic Forum starts on Wednesday in Davos.

And here's a brief excerpt from the Beeb story on the World Social Forum, which opened in Kenya on Jan. 20:

Set up in 2001 as a rival to the World Economic Forum, the forum will cover HIV/Aids, the landless and migration.

It will also emphasise the struggles faced by deprived Africans.

I got a ride part-way home from a co-worker. Phase two was taking the subway down to Collge and Yonge, with the third and final phase being a westward journey on College St. on the streetcar before walking home.

Anyway, some apologetic guy comes around and does the "excuse me, I just need another dollar for the subway" routine. I was summarily dismissive.

No one else would help him out either, so he took his act elsewhere.

One guy was sitting in the bus shelter, with bags and bags of stuff.

After the moocher moved off, a woman -- I'm guessing 50-something, with blond hair and a British accent -- approaches the man and says, "Excuse me: Could you give me some water? I've got the hiccups."

She managed to keep them quiet. I never heard her hiccuping.

Anyway, the guy -- who hadn't come up with any coin for the moocher -- pulls out a full bottle of water from one of his myriad bags and offers it to the woman.

"Thank you," she says, before turning her back on him and going back to absentmindedly stare at the newspaper boxes. This left him in the awkward position of having an unclaimed gift water bottle in his outstretched right hand.

Now, cab after cab after cab passed by going west on Carlton/College, but she never hailed one until the bus showed up. WTF's with that?

As to the water, the guy had a six-pack of San Benedetto mineral water. Maybe she was hoping for one of those. :)