THE history of Latin American emigration is best told over lunch. Taco and tostada stalls have spread across the United States because 12m Mexicans have settled there. In Madrid, steaks sizzle on parrillas tended by Argentines who fled the economic crisis of the early 2000s.

SPOTTING a good manager is hard. Some firms think psychometric tests help. An industry has appeared to supply them. No one knows how big it is, but the vendors of such tests estimate it to be worth between $2 billion and $4 billion a year, says Nik Kinley, a co-author of “Talent Intelligence”, a forthcoming book.Headhunters such as Heidrick & Struggles and Egon Zehnder are trying to get a foothold in the market. Another, Korn/Ferry, paid $80m for PDI Ninth House, a specialist vendor, in December. IBM and Oracle, two software giants, have bought firms with a talent-measurement arm.

PAST the lipsticks and lotions in a Walgreens shop in Orlando is what looks like a doctor’s office. It does not operate like one. Patients can check waiting times online before coming to the store. In a private room, they see a nurse for a diagnosis. At kiosks, they use touch screens to pull up prescriptions and pay for them.

Unleash those animal spirits IN A typical year Natume, a car showroom for the well-heeled in Tokyo, sells 300 Bentleys, Ferraris and other posh rides. “This year we expect to sell 400-450,” beams Kenichi Oguma, the manager.