I was planning to write about the rivers of blood that are running through world stock markets. Paper losses of $4.5 trillion have a way of drawing the eye and demanding an explanation. But the world intervened. (Devoted cybernauts may get that column yet; stay tuned, kids.)

Instead of the disappearance of virtual profits, I'm going to focus on virtual bribes; instead of red ink, you get real blood. The last two weeks have served up two reminders of just how powerful the Internet can be, and why the forces it has unleashed are doing strange things in strange places -- and won't be crammed back into any bottle, no matter how ugly those revelations are, and how uncomfortable they make the powers that be.

In India, a Net news channel has broadcast video footage of politicians and defense bureaucrats accepting what appear to be bribes. Tehelka.com, "India's most exciting news-views portal," set up the sting, disguising two of its reporters to approach the sticky-fingered sorts and request their help getting a contract from the government to buy their equipment. The pols willingly obliged, apologizing all the while about the high cost of "dealing with obstructions" in India.