You go away for 2 weeks....

and everything starts happening - ever increasing terror attacks (inevitably more conscious of them with friends and family in London), some progress in Make Poverty History, free trade agreements (US/Central America looking good for pharmas), antitrust investigations starting and ending (Intel/Nortel), "piracy" prosecutions (feel particularly sorry for the Cambridge student) and domain name disputes (well done Easy, bad luck Volvo - is it only me who thinks the decisions were the wrong way round?). As I wade through real and virtual intrays and reading piles, I'm reminded once again that our work in human rights, competition and IP, separately and in combination, is not in a theoretical vaccuum but has real life implications - and of the need to try to make our work have immediate relevance, as well as seeking to lead and influence policy and decision making in the future.