The big picture: HDTV looks tempting now, but wait six months before buying.

A round-up of noteworthy articles in the print edition of November 18th - 25th 2006. In this week’s podcast: why the flood of money into clean energy is better news for society than for investors; the start of America’s 2008 presidential race; Congo’s dangerous ethnic divide; blogging for a living.

A discussion with Michael Reid, Americas Editor of The Economist: “There is no longer a hegemonic single party in Mexico. It now has three main political parties, none of which has a majority. New institutions and rules have not been set up to encourage collaboration, particularly between Congress and the executive, so the process of reform has stopped on the one hand, and on the other hand, because there’s only been partial reform, there is a lot of frustration for many Mexicans about the lack of benefits from that.”

A discussion with John Micklethwait, Editor, The Economist: “2007 is really a last chance for the [Bush] administration; a last chance to establish a much more useful legacy.”

A discussion with Eric Schmidt, CEO, Google: “It is clear that over the next few years people will have access to more information than they can ever handle, and that is a good thing. That information crowds out bad ideas, bad governments, bad behavior and knowing what people are doing produces a better, more profitable, faster-growing and safer world.”

The sorrows of Belarus: A government in exile, a country in a mess.

Once more into the noodle bowl: APEC talks much and does little.

Life at the top: Not poor–but increasingly nasty, brutish and short.