UNHCR was gearing up for three large returns in Africa.

So this past spring, as I was gearing up to begin writing a biography of Muhammad, I realized I needed to read the Koran properly as properly as I could, that is.

SEOUL Last month, China unveiled its first aircraft carrier, and is gearing up to challenge the United States in the South China Sea. By initiating a plan to internationalize its currency, China is similarly seeking to challenge the dollar on the international stage.

MADRID The United States is gearing up for that most intoxicating (and exhausting) of political events an open seat race for the presidency. With US President Barack Obama's eight years in office coming to an end, and Vice President Joe Biden unlikely to run, the race will be without an incumbent.

Investing intelligently in strengthening valuable ties of cooperation and friendship with many partners around the world, especially in areas related to education, training and human resource development, is the proper thing to do for us as well as for beneficiaries interested in gearing up the primary components of the development engine.

In reality, everyone is gearing up behind the scenes for a Copenhagen 2, and what those involved in the negotiations are calling an even greater slog. Even if some sort of communiqué is cobbled together in December and countries with elections coming up, such as the United Kingdom, will push for one it is hard to believe that it will contain sufficient detail or reflect the proper level of commitment to have the impact so desperately needed.