It's easy to forget in these troubling times that America isn't the only country that's feeling the tight, constricting pinch from the claw of the economic lobster.

This is a GLOBAL economic meltdown. Everyone is feeling that pinch and looking forward to the day when they can grab that lobster by the antennae, throw it in a boiling pot of water, rip off the tail, sprinkle it with butter, pepper and herbs and serve it in a roll with a side of waffle fries. Damn I'm so broke and hungry.

The British Broadcasting Corporation, however, has an interesting way of dealing with their economic problems. Instead of trimming at the bottom, they are aiming their gardening shears squarely towards the top.

After months of delays the English language Al-Jazeera channel is finally ready to go. Plans call for the new network to broadcast around the clock with 12 hours a day devoted to live news while the other 12 go to interviews, features, and analysis. Like the current Al-Jazeera, the International version will also be headquartered in Doha, Qatar. There will also be newsrooms in London, Washington, and Kuala Lumpur.

The channel's chief competitors will be CNN International and BBC World. As would be expected, Al-Jazeera International will specialize in news from the Middle East and executives promise news with an Arab perspective. No deals have been announced to broadcast the channel in the US, but negotiations are ongoing. The goal for launch is to have the channel available in 30 to 40 million homes worldwide.