However, the United Nations is small compared with the immensity of the issues it is expected to deal with, and countries must strengthen it by providing the resources it needs to resolve efficiently the issues for which it is responsible in all fields political, economic, cultural, social and technological.

Such analogies help us visualize the immensity of the information explosion and ratify the concerns that come with it. Web search engines are the only mechanism with which to navigate this avalanche of information, so they should not be mistaken for an optional accessory, one of the buttons to play with, or a tool to locate the nearest pizza store.

The same Americans who cried with joy on the night of November 4 are now seized with apprehension as economic hardship becomes more real by the day, as they witness the consequences of the crisis for their neighbors, if not themselves. Faced with the urgent necessity of alleviating so many Americans suffering, Obama knows only too well that the audacity of hope will not be sufficient to the immensity of the challenges confronting him.