The Moscow Times
Chechnya's Prime Minister Resigns
Chechnya's Kremlin-appointed prime minister, Sergei Abramov, submitted his resignation on Tuesday, clearing the way for his widely feared deputy, Ramzan Kadyrov, to succeed him.
Kadyrov, the 29-year-old head of a brutal militia, has been the acting prime minister since Abramov, 34, was seriously injured in a car crash outside Moscow in November.
Abramov, who has served as prime minister for two years, is the last non-ethnic Chechen to hold a senior post in the Chechen government, and his presence has been seen as a Kremlin attempt to keep tabs on the Chechen officials.
"I can now say that I received today a written statement from Sergei Borisovich [Abramov] asking to resign. We will consider it," Chechen President Alu Alkhanov said at a news conference in Moscow.
"Regretfully, Sergei Borisovich's health so far does not allow him to return to his post," Alkhanov said.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/03/01/001.html
Berezovsky Warned Over Asylum Status
By Anatoly Medetsky
Staff Writer
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has warned Boris Berezovsky that he might lose his refugee status if he continues to call for the overthrow of President Vladimir Putin.
Straw's warning, made in a statement released Monday, appeared to be a signal for the self-exiled businessman to tone down his remarks rather than a serious threat.
Russia, which wants Berezovsky on fraud and tax charges, has exerted pressure on Britain over its decision to grant asylum to Berezovsky in 2003.
Straw said in the statement that the British government would "take action against those who use the UK as a base from which to foment violent disorder or terrorism in other countries."
"Advocating the violent overthrow of a sovereign state is unacceptable, and we condemn these comments unreservedly," he said, referring to an interview that Berezovsky gave on Ekho Moskvy radio in January.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/03/01/011.html
A Rare Summit of Discontent in the Altai
BELOKURIKHA, Altai Region -- More than 200 people gathered in the foothills of the Altai Mountains last weekend for a Russian version of the Davos economic forum as state pressure grows on its outsider organizers, opposition politician Vladimir Ryzhkov and a local branch of the Open Russia Foundation set up by Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
As a handful of diehard liberal economists such as Andrei Illarionov, the former economic adviser to President Vladimir Putin, met to discuss economic strategy with Altai businessmen and politicians, officials from the region's administration boycotted the annual gathering for the first time since its inception in 2001. Many usual participants from Moscow made their excuses and did not turn up.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/03/01/002.html
Iranian delegation for Moscow nuclear talks delayed in Tehran
RIA NOVOSTI. March 1, 2006, 10:27 AM
MOSCOW, March 1 (RIA Novosti) - The flight of a delegation from Iran due to arrive in Moscow for a further round of talks on a Russian initiative that could help resolve the crisis around Tehran's controversial nuclear programs has been delayed prior to take-off, Russian diplomats in the Iranian capital said Wednesday.
A source in the Russian Embassy said "technical reasons" were to blame for the holdup, but was unable to specify what this meant.
The visit of the delegation, led by Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, should be the third meeting between Iran and Russia to discuss a proposal made by Moscow to establish a joint venture on its territory to enrich uranium for Iranian nuclear power plants.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/doc/HotNews.html
No need for Iran to re-impose nuclear moratorium - official
RIA NOVOSTI. March 1, 2006, 2:43 PM
MOSCOW, March 1 (RIA Novosti) - There is no need for Iran to re-impose a moratorium on uranium enrichment to resolve the controversy around its nuclear programs, the country's top nuclear negotiator said Wednesday.
"A moratorium is needed if something dangerous exists," Ali Larijani said at talks in Moscow. "We are at the research stage and all our activities are transparent."
Larijani said Iran was ready for any inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, if the inspections complied with international law.
He said questions from the IAEA that Iran was answering were not related to the moratorium.
"We have no extraordinary demands, we are defending the rights given to Iran within the IAEA," Larijani said. "We agree to IAEA inspections, to those international inspections that are legal."
Larijani also said peaceful nuclear research was Iran's right.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/doc/HotNews.html
Russia foreign policy priority for Kazakhstan - president
RIA NOVOSTI. March 1, 2006, 10:15 AM
ASTANA, March 1 (RIA Novosti, Olga Kovalenko)-Russia is a foreign policy priority for Kazakhstan, the long-time leader of the Central Asian state said Wednesday in his annual address to the nation.
Speaking to a joint session of both houses of parliament Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has been president since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and was reelected for another seven-year term in the post in December, said Kazakh-Russian relations were based on strategic partnership.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/doc/HotNews.html
20-Year-Old Goes on Trial in Synagogue Stabbing Rampage
A 20-year-old suspect, Alexander Koptsev, went on trial Tuesday in the stabbing of nine men at a Moscow synagogue in January.
Koptsev pleaded not guilty at the opening of the trial at the Moscow City Court, despite promised evidence that is to include videotape of the attack and the testimony of scores of eyewitnesses.
Koptsev faces life in prison if convicted of attempted murder, assault, and actions aimed at humiliating ethnic or religious groups.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/03/01/012.html
Russia's media market may be worth $15bln by 2014 - official
RIA NOVOSTI. March 1, 2006, 1:59 PM
MOSCOW, March 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's media market may be worth $15 billion by 2014, the head of the country's media agency said Wednesday.
"Growth rates for domestic media market are many times greater than both global indicators and national GDP growth," Mikhail Seslavinsky said at a conference. "By 2014, we could be looking at volume of $15 billion, against today's total of $5 billion."
Seslavinsky said that growth was due to the country's growing economy.
"In conditions of growing competition, media companies' strategy is changing," he said. "They are starting to develop more as diversified holding companies that essentially include all known media types."
Seslavinsky cited analysts as predicting the formation of several media giants in Russia.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/doc/HotNews.html
Inflation to hit 1.5% in February - expert
RIA NOVOSTI. March 1, 2006, 1:22 PM
MOSCOW, March 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's inflation rate for February is likely to be 1.5%, an expert said Wednesday.
Commenting on the 1.3-1.5% inflation forecast published earlier by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Arkady Dvorkovich, the head of the presidential expert department, said "I'm doubtful about 1.3%, but I am sure about 1.5%."
He said consumer prices grew by more than 1% over the first 20 days of February. February 2004 saw a 1.2% increase in consumer prices.
The Economic Development Ministry forecast inflation of 3.9% in the first two months of 2006.
Inflation was 2.4% in January, and 0.8% over the first fortnight of February.
The government aims to keep inflation under 9%, although experts predict 10%.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/doc/HotNews.html
Police May Have Shot the Wrong Man
City police shot and injured a man during a manhunt for a suspected serial killer in southwest Moscow, although the injured man appears to be innocent.
About 200 police officers were deployed to Bittsevsky Park on Feb. 20 after the city police's criminal investigations department received a tip that a man resembling the suspected killer had been spotted there, Interfax reported, citing a law enforcement source. Three pensioners were bludgeoned to death with a blunt object in the park in December and January, and several others were attacked there over the same period.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/03/01/013.html
A Safe City for All Who Live Here
The past month has seen two major accidents kill more than 70 people in Moscow. First, the roof collapse at the Basmanny market killed at least 66 people on Thursday. Then a fire that broke out in a makeshift dormitory for workers on a construction site left seven more dead on Sunday.
In neither case did the city authorities appear too shaken. Fireworks to celebrate the Defenders of the Fatherland Day went off as scheduled on Thursday, while state-controlled Channel One led the 6 p.m. news with updates from the Olympic Games. Citywide festivities to mark the end of winter also got under way on time on Red Square on Monday.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/03/01/005.html
Don't Worry, Just Stock Up on Lots of Salt
On May 17, 1896, Muscovites began to gather on Khodynskoye Pole, where a lavish program of entertainment was planned to celebrate the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II. By 5 a.m. on May 18, several hundred thousand people were milling around the pavilions, and police were unable to maintain order. In the ensuing crush, nearly 1,400 died and 1,300 more were seriously injured. The emperor saw no reason to call off the festivities, however. That evening, as scheduled, he attended a ball.
On Feb. 23, 2006, the Basmanny market collapsed. All day long, the main television stations fed us programming devoted to Defenders of the Fatherland Day. Meanwhile, people were buried alive under the ruins of the market, calling desperately for help. Rescue workers slowly pulled them out. A fire broke out and was extinguished. Those trapped in the ruins who escaped the blaze froze to death. At least 66 people died.
No one thought to call off the celebration of Defenders of the Fatherland Day, however. Why not? As Mayor Yury Luzhkov noted, there were two Muscovites among the dead. The rest of the people in the market at 5:40 a.m., when it collapsed, were foreign traders, mostly Azeris. Why cancel the gala televised concerts on account of the death of a few dozen people whom the defenders of the fatherland hassle every day outside railway stations?
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/03/01/007.html
Kids Find a Home in Fairytale Villages
KITEZH-ORION, Kaluga Region -- On a snowy plain near the Kaluga region town of Obninsk, down an icy track and past an old Pioneer camp, buildings seem to rise straight out of a fairy tale. A cluster of interconnected hexagonal rooms evokes a bees' honeycomb, and next door are a medieval-like tower and a small wooden hut capped with an onion dome.
The settlement is Kitezh-Orion, a community of foster families located 75 kilometers southwest of Moscow. It houses children who were formerly in state orphanages and their new foster parents, and all residents live according to a distinctive philosophy.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/03/01/015.html
Democracy at Stake
Anna Politkovskaya may be known for her gutsy reporting, but in her book she calls herself just another former Soviet citizen who dreads returning to a totalitarian regime.
By Peter Baker
Published: February 22, 2006
Irina Fadeeva had been through enough already. She had sat in that dreadful theater for nearly three days as Chechen terrorists hovered menacingly nearby. Her 15-year-old son had been among those left dead after Russian commandos pumped the building with a mystery gas and stormed inside. When his body finally turned up in a morgue, she had found a crevice in his head, what she believed was a bullet wound.
Yet it was only when Fadeeva turned to journalists to help find the answers she wasn't getting from the authorities that investigators began to pay her attention. Perhaps her tall, healthy son had not succumbed to the gas, but instead had been shot to death by the very soldiers sent to save him, she suggested. The authorities would not say and had no intention of allowing her to even ask.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/02/22/105.html
In Top Form
Two exhibitions show how Kasimir Malevich continues to fascinate artists almost 100 years after "Black Square."
By Brian Droitcour
Published: February 22, 2006
Best known for his famous black square, Kasimir Malevich is popularly joked about as the painter of "Who Turned Out the Lights?" Yet his status as the inventor of geometric abstraction -- Suprematism, to use his term -- continues to draw artists to examine his legacy today. In a testament to that, two unrelated exhibitions that spin off Malevich opened earlier this month. "Reverse Information" at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art twists Malevich's abstractions, while Alexander Sigutin's "Suprematism of the Everyday" at Krokin Gallery reflects on his influence on furniture design.
Malevich's breakthrough, which he presented to colleagues at the 1915 exhibition "0.10," was to reject the conventions of figurative painting as constraints on true forms. "Black Square," the centerpiece of "0.10," transcended those conventions. Malevich offered a new concept of the artist as a manipulator of form and color, rather than a mere imitator of reality, and his ideas were received enthusiastically by the avant-garde.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/02/22/108.html
Salon
Although Andrey Kurkov's books have been translated into many languages, they are riddled with flaws, from one-dimensional characters to unbelievable plot twists.
By Victor Sonkin
Published: February 22, 2006
Last week, Moscow enthusiastically welcomed Kiev writer Andrey Kurkov, who was heralded by his publisher, St. Petersburg's Amphora, as "today's No. 1 Russian-language writer!" The publisher's press release went on to explain that movies based on Kurkov's scripts are "regulars at the Cannes festival" and that his books, along with Pushkin's and Tolstoy's, have become part of the school curriculum in France.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/02/22/106.html
Global Eye
History Lessons
By Chris Floyd
Published: February 22, 2006
BERLIN, May 12, 2153 -- Within the ivy-covered walls of Farben University, a great battle is now raging. But although the Reich's ancient capital has seen its share of warfare down through the centuries, today's combatants have no swords, no guns, no bio-disrupters -- just words and pictures, marshaled on either side of a fierce debate that has split the academic world in two, and is beginning to spill over into politics. It all revolves around a simple question: Was the German Empire a good thing or a bad thing?
At one time, the answer would have seemed clear. In the three decades since the last "Reich Protectorate" gained its independence (Ukraine, 2122), the liberal consensus among German historians has been that the Empire founded more than 200 years ago by Adolf Hitler was largely a malign development: "a system, born in aggression and atrocity, that inflicted terrible suffering on the conquered lands for generations, and warped German society itself with its arrogance, brutality and corruption," as Germany's leading historian, Yury Vinogradov, put it in his landmark 2128 work, "Reich and Reality." That book set the tone for a flood of hard-hitting probes into Reich history that left almost no nationalist myth intact.
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/02/22/120.html
The Strength of Soft Power
By Joseph S. Nye Jr.
Power is the ability to influence others to get what you want. There are ultimately three main ways for a nation to wield power: by using or threatening force; by inducing compliance with rewards; or by using "soft power" -- attracting followers through the strength of a country's values and culture, and the inclusiveness of its policies. When a country can induce others to follow by employing soft power, it saves a lot of carrots and sticks.
American soft power has diminished in recent years, particularly in the wake of the invasion of Iraq. Polls showed dramatic declines in the popularity of the United States, even in countries such as Britain, Italy and Spain, whose governments had supported the United States. America's standing plummeted in Islamic countries around the world. Yet the cooperation of these countries is essential if the United States and other countries such as Russia are ...
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/02/28/006.html
Iran Is Just Biding Its Time
By Georgy Bovt
Sergei Kiriyenko is a small man with big ambition. When he traveled to Tehran last week for the latest round of talks on Moscow's proposal to enrich uranium for Iran, Kiriyenko, head of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency, was positively beaming. Not as a result of exposure to radioactivity, thank goodness, but from recognition of the importance of his mission.
When talks wrapped up on Sunday, Kiriyenko was beaming even brighter with the knowledge that he had accomplished his mission. At a news conference, Kiriyenko and Iranian nuclear chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh announced that the two sides had reached a "basic" agreement on creating a joint venture that would enrich Iran's uranium in Russia.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/02/28/008.html
The New York Times
Storm's Missing: Lives Not Lost but Disconnected
By SHAILA DEWAN
BATON ROUGE, La. — As far as Curtis Broussard Jr. is concerned, he is not missing. He is in Missouri City, Tex., where he plans to stay. But according to the State of Louisiana, Mr. Broussard, formerly of Cherry Street, New Orleans, has not been found.
His daughter, Antonette Murray, had not heard from him since Hurricane Katrina. In January, she finally reported him to the state, expecting to hear back that he was dead. But though he was added to the missing list, other family members had known of his whereabouts since September, and a reporter recently put Mr. Broussard back in touch with his daughter after a few telephone calls.
Despite intensive efforts to reach the scattered refugees of Hurricane Katrina, nearly 2,000 such names remain on the state's list of people still unaccounted for, out of 12,000 that had once been reported. Even now, new missing persons reports trickle in; there were 99 over the two-week period that ended Feb. 5.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/national/nationalspecial/01missing.html?hp&ex=1141275600&en=67049a0ad8696455&ei=5094&partner=homepage
At Least 26 Killed in Latest Baghdad Attacks
By EDWARD WONG
BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 1 -- At least 26 people were killed and 65 were wounded in two explosions in Baghdad today, as insurgents pressed on with their deadliest offensive in weeks amid heightened sectarian tensions. The attacks today came after more than 75 people were killed on Tuesday when powerful bombs rocked the capital.
The fresh violence could re-ignite the hostility between Sunnis and Shiites just as Iraqis struggle to recover from the worst sectarian bloodletting since the war began. Though politicians and clerics have been calling for calm, and a weekend curfew cooled off the fury in the streets, people across the capital remained anxious over the possibility of new violence. Militiamen and private guards stood watch at mosques, and the American ambassador declared that last week’s killings, following an attack on a sacred Shiite shrine in southern Iraq, had pushed the nation “to the brink of civil war.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/international/01cnd-iraq.html?hp&ex=1141275600&en=5bf8ffaeb8e7841d&ei=5094&partner=homepage
President Bush Makes Surprise Visit to Afghanistan
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
NEW DELHI, March 1 - President Bush made a surprise five-hour visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday to meet with President Hamid Karzai and to see for the first time the country created after the United States went to war against the Taliban in retaliation for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
In a news conference with Mr. Karzai, Mr Bush said he remained confident of the capture of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as the apprehension of the Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar. “It’s not a matter of if they’re captured, it’s a matter of when they’re brought to justice,’’ Mr. Bush said.
The president deflected a question about the increasing violence from Al Qaeda and Taliban militants in Afghanistan and also played down the possibility of announcing a nuclear power agreement with India on a visit to New Delhi, where he was expected to arrive Wednesday night.
“This is a difficult issue,’’ Mr. Bush said, speaking outside the presidential palace in Kabul, with Mr. Karzai at his side. “It’s a difficult issue for the Indian government. It’s a difficult issue for the American government.’’
He added: “Hopefully we can reach an agreement. If not, we can continue to work on it.’’
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/international/asia/01cnd-prexy.html?hp&ex=1141275600&en=b38db983f7bbf425&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Cultivating a Mystique
By JANE BLACK
NAVALENO, Spain
IN the foothills of the Pyrenees, two dozen women dressed in green lab coats stand at an industrial sorting machine inside a vast warehouse filling gray plastic bins with thousands of dollars worth of black truffles.
The warehouse is part of the Arotz truffle plantation, the world's largest. On more than 1,500 acres of land, with 150,000 truffle-producing trees, the company harvests several tons of truffles a year, according to the managing director, José Barbarin. Though he won't disclose its exact production figures, he estimates that it can make up 15 to 25 percent of the global supply, depending on world weather conditions.
During peak truffle season, which spans January to March, thousands of truffles arrive each day at the warehouse here in Navaleno. Every truffle is cleaned, weighed, labeled and vacuum-packed. Shipments to restaurants and food processors take place within 24 hours to ensure freshness.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/dining/01truf.html?8dpc
Beijing Accuses Taiwan Leader of 'Grave Provocation'
By JOSEPH KAHN and KEITH BRADSHER
BEIJING, Feb. 28 — President Hu Jintao of China reacted sharply on Tuesday to the decision by President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan to terminate the island's unification council, calling it "a grave provocation" and "a dangerous step on the road toward Taiwan independence."
Mr. Chen on Tuesday completed the formalities for scrapping the National Unification Council and guidelines for unification with mainland China. Though largely moribund, the council and the guidelines were symbols of Taiwan's political links to Beijing that Mr. Chen had once vowed to preserve.
Mr. Hu said the move threatened stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region.
"We will continue to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification, but never tolerate the secession of Taiwan from the motherland," Mr. Hu said in remarks published by the official New China News Agency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/international/asia/01taiwan.html
French Farmers Shudder as Flu Keeps Chickens From Ranging Free
By CRAIG S. SMITH
Published: March 1, 2006
BOURG-EN-BRESSE, France, Feb. 28 — If this were a creepy thriller, the camera might pan across the sky following a lone wild duck and then drop to the silent fields below before moving into the crowded, cacophonous sheds where the Bresse region's famous free-range chickens are now sequestered, waiting out the deadly threat of bird flu passing overhead.
France, the first European country to suffer an outbreak of the A(H5N1) strain of avian influenza among its poultry, is hunkering down for a long, tense haul as the spring migration brings flocks of waterfowl to its rivers, lakes and ponds.
The virus, which killed more than 400 turkeys in a matter of hours on a farm a few miles south of here, is believed to have arrived with a duck that migrated west from the Black Sea to escape unusually cold weather there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/international/europe/01flu.html
Computer Technology Opens a World of Work to Disabled People
By DAVID S. JOACHIM
Published: March 1, 2006
For 24 years, Pamela Post, a victim of a panic disorder called agoraphobia, has been afraid to leave her house. She managed to find work for a time, at a company partly owned by a man who also had a panic disorder. He gave her a private office in a house, to make her feel at home and to shield her from the office bustle that could bring on attacks.
But three and a half years into the job, even those accommodations were no longer enough. Her husband left her, and her 19-year-old daughter, who drove her to work, married and moved out.
"All of a sudden the panic attacks got out of control," Ms. Post said. "I don't drive, so I didn't know what I would do."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/technology/01disable.html
Chesapeake Oystermen, in Decline, Place Hopes in an Asian Import
By GARY GATELY
Published: March 1, 2006
CAMBRIDGE, Md. — Ice glazes the 39-foot Tracie Leigh, the wind blowing stiff and cold, as Tom Lagana harvests oysters the old-fashioned way.
Standing on a square of deck covered with rock salt to keep it from freezing, he clutches 20-foot poles that work like giant chopsticks, spreading his arms wide, then pulling them back toward his chest. A winch lifts the poles until tongs with metal claws open. Mixed in with empty shells, muck and rocks lies the catch: a few dozen Chesapeake oysters.
For 25 years, Mr. Lagana has made a living harvesting Chesapeake Bay. But on this gray winter morning here on a mile-wide expanse of the Choptank River, a tributary of the bay, he fears for the very survival of the native oyster. "The oyster industry, and our livelihoods, are in serious danger," he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/national/01oysters.html
Beyond Rivalry, a Hidden World of Sibling Violence
By KATY BUTLER
From infancy until he reached the threshold of manhood, the beatings Daniel W. Smith received at his older brother's hands were qualitatively different from routine sibling rivalry. Rarely did he and his brother just shove each other in the back of the family car over who was crowding whom, or wrestle over a toy firetruck.
Instead, Mr. Smith said in an interview, his brother, Sean, would grip him in a headlock or stranglehold and punch him repeatedly.
"Fighting back just made it worse, so I'd just take it and wait for it to be over," said Mr. Smith, who was 18 months younger than his brother. "What was I going to do? Where was I going to go? I was 10 years old."
To speak only of helplessness and intimidation, however, is to oversimplify a complex bond. "We played kickball with neighborhood kids, and we'd go off exploring in the woods together as if he were any other friend," said Mr. Smith, who is now 34 and a writing instructor at San Francisco State University. (Sean died of a heart attack three years ago.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/28/health/28sibl.html
Race, Responsibility and the Military Mind
By BEN BRANTLEY
How much distance can a playwright cover in an hour and a half without exhausting or losing his audience? With "Doubt" — the 90-minute drama about a battle of wills between a priest and nun, which won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award last year — John Patrick Shanley demonstrated that in theater, brevity can be the soul not only of wit but also of rippling moral resonance.
Now Mr. Shanley has written another play of the same length and much the same structure, "Defiance," which opened last night at the Manhattan Theater Club. And yet this latest work, though as thoughtful and probing as its predecessor, feels both overcrowded and oddly diffuse. If "Doubt," which continues at the Walter Kerr Theater on Broadway, has an elegant and energy-efficient sprinter's gait, "Defiance" progresses with a limp and a flustered air of distraction.
http://theater2.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/theater/reviews/01defi.html
Who's Afraid of a Gas Tax?
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
My gut told me this was the case, but it's great to see it confirmed by the latest New York Times/CBS News poll: Americans not only know that our oil addiction is really bad for us, but they would be willing to accept a gasoline tax if some leader would just frame the stakes for the country the right way.
I am sure one reason President Bush suddenly chose to build his State of the Union address around ending our oil addiction and moving toward a renewable-energy future was because his private polling told him the same thing. But Mr. Bush simply occupied this ground rhetorically — before Democrats could get there — without actually offering a real solution.
The only real solution is raising our gasoline tax, which is a paltry 18.4 cents a gallon and has not been increased since 1993. Only if the total price of gasoline is brought into the $3.50-to-$4-per-gallon range — and kept there — will large numbers of Americans demand plug-in hybrid cars that run on biofuels like ethanol. When large numbers of Americans do that, U.S. automakers will move quickly down the innovation curve.
"Impossible," campaign consultants say. "A gasoline tax is political suicide." No, it all depends on how you frame it.
The poll reported yesterday found that 60 percent of those polled, including one-third of Republicans, disapproved of how Mr. Bush is handling our energy crisis. Only 27 percent approved. Most want real action — now. In the poll, 87 percent said Washington should require car manufacturers to produce more efficient cars.
Of course, when asked simply whether they'd favor a gasoline tax, 85 percent said no and only 12 percent said yes. But when the gas tax was framed as part of a national strategy to achieve energy security and climate security, pollsters got a very different answer. When the tax was presented as reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil, 55 percent favored it and 37 percent said no. And when asked about a gas tax that would help reduce global warming, even more respondents supported it — with 59 percent in favor and 34 percent opposed.
And that is without a single Democrat or Republican leading on this issue! Imagine if someone actually led?
Many Americans now understand: the Energy Question is the big strategic issue of our time, overtaking 9/11 and the war on terrorism. If a leader from either party would correctly frame the issue — that a gas tax is the single most important geostrategic move we could make today — a solid majority would support it.
Taking on this issue is the only hope the Bush team has for producing a legacy out of its remaining years. And it is the Democrats' only hope for taking on the Republicans with a big idea — rather than relying on G.O.P. scandals to win.
Sadly, both sides fear the other will smear them if they run on this issue. O.K., say you're running for Congress and you propose a gas tax, but your opponent denounces you as a wimpy, tree-hugging girlie-man, a tax-and-spender. What do you say back?
I'd say: "Oh, really? I guess you think it is smart, tough and patriotic for us to be financing both sides in the war on terrorism — the U.S. military with our tax dollars, and Al Qaeda, Iran and various hostile Islamist charities with our energy purchases.
"Now how patriotic is that? I guess you haven't noticed that today's global economic playing field has been leveled and that three billion new players from India, China and Russia have walked onto the field, buying new cars, homes and refrigerators. So if we don't break our addiction to crude oil, we're going to heat up this planet so much faster — enough to melt the North Pole and make Katrina look like a summer breeze.
"Now how smart is that? I guess you don't realize that because of this climate change and the rising cost of crude, green technologies are going to be the industry of the 21st century, and a gasoline tax is the surest way to make certain that our industries innovate faster and dominate innovation in green cars, homes and appliances.
"Finally, I guess you haven't noticed that the wave of democratization that seemed unstoppable after the fall of the Berlin Wall has run into a black counterwave of petro-authoritarianism. This black wave of oil-financed autocrats — Venezuela, Russia, Iran, Nigeria, Burma, Saudi Arabia — has all the money in the world now to turn back the democratic tide. And you think doing nothing to reverse that is patriotic? Shame on you, you unpatriotic wimp. Green is the new red, white and blue, pal. What color are you?"
That's what I'd say.
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/opinion/01friedman.html
Americans Are Cautiously Open to Gas Tax Rise, Poll Shows
By LOUIS UCHITELLE and MEGAN THEE
Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to a higher federal gasoline tax, but a significant number would go along with an increase if it reduced global warming or made the United States less dependent on foreign oil, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
The nationwide telephone poll, conducted Wednesday through Sunday, suggested that a gasoline tax increase that brought measurable results would be acceptable to a majority of Americans.
Neither the Bush administration nor Democratic Party leaders make that distinction. Both are opposed to increasing the gasoline tax as a means of discouraging consumption, although President Bush, in recent speeches, has called for the development of alternative energy to reduce dependence on foreign oil.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/28/national/28gas.html
The China Daily
Earth's population tops 6.5 billion
The population on the Earth will hit 6.5 billion at 19:16 Eastern Standard Time, Feb. 25, 2006, which is a milestone growth, American science magazine LifeScience said on Feb. 24 on its website, citing a forecast by U.S. Census Bureau.
The Bureau also predicts that the planet's population will exceed seven billion on Oct. 18, 2012.
A report by the administration says that the global population had hit six billion in June 1999, 2.5 times more than that in early 20th century or approximately double that in 1960.
It took only 12 years for the world population to grow from five billion to six billion. Currently, 4.4 babies are born per second on average at an ever startling rate.
The population growth rate of a country is related to its birth rate, mortality rate, living standard, medical care, and economic development. From now to 2050, populations will mount in most countries and it is predicted that by 2050 there will be three billion more people on the planet.
Two major trends are seen in the current growing world population: relatively fewer in Europe and fast rate in developing countries. Experts say in the past 50 years, populations grew most rapidly where such growth can be afforded the least.
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/27/eng20060227_246386.html
President Hu slashes "Taiwan Independence" attempt
Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday slashed Taiwan authorities for their decision to cease the function of its "National Unification Council" and the application of its guidelines, saying it is a "dangerous step" toward "Taiwan Independence."
Hu made the remarks while meeting with visiting Swiss Defence Minister Samuel Schmid here Tuesday afternoon.
Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian announced Monday that the "National Unification Council" shall "cease to function" and the "National Unification Guidelines" shall "cease to apply." Chen signed relevant papers Tuesday morning.
"Despite the strong opposition from inside and outside the island, Taiwan authorities went their own way," Hu said.
http://english.people.com.cn/200603/01/eng20060301_246783.html
Two premiers, different temperChinese Premier Wen Jiabao and former Premier Zhu Rongji display quite different temperaments, but they are simply the same in being faithful to their job.
Former Premier Zhu gave people a serious, strict and even harsh impression. He seemed too serious to approach, too strict to show any smile and too harsh to tolerate even the slightest mistake.
Premier Wen, like his surname, is gentle, easy to approach, and used to keeping a low profile, often smiling. When he speaks, his tone is always very mild and cultivated.
http://english.people.com.cn/200603/01/eng20060301_247049.html
CPC members total 70.8 million
The total number of the membership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has reached 70.8 million by the end of 2005, said Ouyang Song, deputy director of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, on Wednesday in Beijing.
The number of grassroots CPC organizations across China has exceeded 3.52 million, including 170,000 grassroots party committees, Ouyang Song said at a press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council.
The year of 2005 saw 2.47 million new CPC members, with 1.98 million under the age of 35. In addition, about 17.67 million people have applied for CPC membership in 2005, Ouyang said.
http://english.people.com.cn/200603/01/eng20060301_246983.html
10 percent adult male haunted by ED
The first "Asia-Pacific forum on male health" was held in Shanghai recently. As a common disease for male over 40, ED has affected 10 percent male adults in China. Aside from affecting their life quality and feeling of happiness, ED also poses various threats to their health. Yet, many ED patients are unwilling to seek treatment, because they believe ED is the "hard to speak" disease.
Half of men over 40 haunted by ED
According to Wang Chuanhang, an expert with Beijing-based China-Japan Friendship Hospital, ED (Erectile Dysfunction), also called impotence, is the inability to achieve penile erection or to maintain an erection until ejaculation. It is a common health problem among men over 40. Statistics show more than half of men over 40 suffer from ED of different degrees and there are 152 million ED patients worldwide.
ED triggers other diseases
The ED symptoms often reflect the patient's hidden diseases. 70 percent of ED cases are caused by disease like diabetes, high blood pressure, and spinal injury. Psychological factors like anxiety and depression may cause ED too.
http://english.people.com.cn/200603/01/eng20060301_247045.html
China expects another successful five years
The efforts and progress on the scientific development is the most notable highlight in China's experience in the past five years. The idea of scientific development will continue to be the cornerstone on which relies China's another five-year aspiration.
Looking back at the past five years
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's GDP reached 18.2 trillion yuan in 2005, which is equivalent to 2.22 trillion US dollars in terms of the average exchange rate. The per capita GDP is 1,703 US dollars. The growth of GDP is 9.9 percent higher than the previous year.
Actually China's economy was on a fast track of at least 9.9 percent in the past five years and even some 10 percent in the recent three years.
Other achievements include the grain output of 484 billion kilograms last year, 14.6 billion kilograms, or 3.1 percent more than the previous year. Industrial enterprises above the scale of annual sales totaling at least 5 million yuan reported added value of 6.6 trillion yuan, up 16.4 percent, and profits of 1.4 trillion yuan, an increase of 22.6 percent.
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/28/eng20060228_246702.html
China introduces "happiness index" into regional development evaluation system
A new economic index, that goes beyond reporting reams of hard industrial data, is emerging from annual meetings of regional legislatures that recently wrapped around the country. It's called the 'happiness index'.
First coined in the city of Xi'an work report the idea is to find a way to measure 'the happiness of the people' not just economic development. The capital of West China's Shaanxi province wants to measure how "the people are sharing the fruits of development and improvements to social harmony".
Beijing is also planning to develop criteria that will allow demographers to create a happiness index of the city's residents. The happiness index will assess the city's performance using five important people-first factors. These include access to medical care, improved housing conditions, quality of the environment, employment opportunities and public security.
http://english.people.com.cn/200603/01/eng20060301_246860.html
China bumps up research and development spending
China spent 236.7 billion yuan (about 29.19 billion US dollars) on research and development (R&D) in 2005, a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows.
The expenditure, up 20.4 percent on the previous year, accounted for 1.3 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
In 2005, R&D expenditure on basic scientific research reached 13.5 billion yuan as opposed to 10.2 billion yuan in 2004. The number of professionals engaging in scientific research in state-owned research institutions and enterprises reached 27.2 million.
China accepted 476,000 patent applications last year, of which 80.5 percent were domestic. Of the total, 173,000 applications were for patents of inventions, with domestic ones representing 53.8 percent.
Contracts for science and technology reached 265,000 in 2005, totaling 151 billion yuan and up 13.2 percent on the previous year.
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/28/eng20060228_246697.html
8 Chinese development cases included in WB book on global poverty reduction
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz praises China's poverty reduction efforts in a new publication that details worldwide efforts to reduce the scourge of poverty.
Entitled Reducing Poverty on a Global Scale: Learning and Innovating for Development, the book identifies the main factors that cause an increase or reduction in poverty and what this means for the World Bank and donor countries.
An entire chapter is devoted to China which has worked closely with the World Bank to pilot innovative poverty reduction efforts in Southwest China, Qinba Mountain Area and northwest China's Gansu Province, and China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The book outlines how the World Bank-sponsored programs helped raise incomes, improve food security, and expand access to basic services in 61 of China's poorest counties. These projects have played an important role in poverty reduction and rural development, it said.
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/27/eng20060227_246337.html
Remote monitors to protect environment
XI'AN: A remote monitoring system is being installed to control industrial emissions in Shaanxi Province in Northwest China.
"We will first put remote monitors on the chemical factories, oil refining enterprises and those releasing toxic and harmful substances during their production," He Fali, director of Shaanxi Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau, told China Daily on Monday.
The monitors will be linked by a network covering the province, He added.
The bureau will also build environmental protection emergency response centres in Xi'an, the provincial capital where the bureau is located, and in Yulin, a city in northern Shaanxi where a number of chemical, oil refining and gas processing enterprises are concentrated.
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/28/eng20060228_246579.html
Greenpeace lists China as one of World's most important countries
China has made great progress in its environmental protection thanks to the joint efforts of the government and the public, Gerd Leipold, the global executive director of Greenpeace, was quoted by Friday's China Daily as saying.
But he also urged that the Chinese Government should take a more serious view on climate changes by promoting the use of renewable energy.
Leipold has been in Beijing this week to attend a forum about corporate social responsibility.
"Currently China has a much stronger environmental awareness among politicians, academic people, journalists, young people, students and the general public," Leipold was quoted as saying.
"The government is excellent when it comes to environmental protection. For example, the response to the chemical spill in the Songhua River last year was very impressive.
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/24/eng20060224_245602.html
WHO stresses cooking safety amid ban on French poultry, new H5N1 cases
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday reconfirmed safety from the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus if poultry products are properly handled or cooked.
"When poultry products are safely handled and properly cooked, humans are not at risk of acquiring H5N1 infection through food," WHO Director-General Lee Jong-Wook said.
The statement came amid reports that some 20 countries had banned poultry imports from France as worries went high with spread of bird flu.
"Although the H5N1 virus is highly infectious among poultry, it is not easily transmissible to humans," said the chief of the world health body.
Since December 2003, the H5N1 virus has infected 173 people, of whom 93 have died. None of these cases have been linked to the consumption of properly cooked poultry or poultry products, said the official.
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/28/eng20060228_246682.html
Heavy Snow Continues in Liaoning
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/26/eng20060226_246155.html
China wins first ever Olympic snow gold
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/24/eng20060224_245507.html
Snow fun for panda pair
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/22/eng20060222_244901.html
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