ttp://www.pajamasmedia.com/ Power Line enlists citizen videographers パワーライン・ブログがビデオ撮影家募集 PJM in LA April 9, 2006 2:40 PM
Power Line was so unimpressed with newspaper and TV coverage of recent pro-illegal immigration marches that the big blogsite is inviting citizen journalists to take videocameras to Monday’s new round of similar marches in dozens of cities. Power Line will post the most interesting videos sent in.
ライス女史の音楽家としてのエピソードが多く書いてあって、15歳でデンバー・シンフォ ニー・オーケストラとモーツアルトのDマイナーのコンチェルトでデビューしているとか、 ライスの子供時代(3歳)にピアノを教えたのは祖母だとか、 母がヴェルディのアイーダ のレコードをライスに聞かせて and she listened, "my little eyes like saucers,"
"The reason why we're opposed to military action is because it's an infinitely worse option [than diplomacy] and there's no justification for it," the foreign secretary said
The foreign secretary added: "The idea of a nuclear strike on Iran is completely nuts."
At present the US is seeking to build support for censuring Iran at the United Nations, as well as gathering a "coalition of concerned countries" to impose sanctions on Tehran should the Security Council prove unwilling or unable to do so. The EU paper, drawn up by the staff of Javier Solana, the bloc's foreign policy chief, may be a step in such a direction. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー このFT記事は解説としてまあ、まともな。
Departments of Environment and Natural Resources since the Conservatives took office in February conclude "that it is impossible, impossible for Canada to reach its Kyoto target," Ms. Ambrose said.
Canadian emissions had been running about 24 per cent higher than the benchmark level. But Ms. Ambrose said that in Canada's next report to the United Nations the government is going to be in the embarrassing position of having to admit "we're getting close to being up by 30 per cent."
The United States, which reneged on the original Kyoto deal, actually has a better track record cutting greenhouse gases than does Canada, Ms. Ambrose said.
In a survey published on Sunday in Le Parisien, a daily newspaper, 53 per cent of respondents said they thought the turmoil had strengthened Mr Sarkozy, while 86 per cent thought it had weakened Mr de Villepin.
April 10, 2006: American journalists and politicians, who are hostile to American operations in Iraq, are pushing a story that the U.S. is planning to use nuclear weapons for an attack on Iranian nuclear weapons facilities. They offer no proof, and no explanation of how an American president would hope to survive the diplomatic fallout from using nuclear weapons for the first time since 1945. Iran loves these stories, because it enables the Islamic conservatives to make any democratic reformers appear unpatriotic for wanting free elections like those in the United States.
April 10, 2006: Al Qaeda has apparently implemented a new strategy, going after Shia Arabs, and only Shia Arabs, without endangering Sunni Arabs. The new head of al Qaeda operations in Iraq is an Iraqi Sunni Arab, and his tactic is to concentrate on attacks against Shia mosques, preferably during prayer services. This way, you kill a lot of Shia, and only Shia. The only Sunni Arabs you will find inside a Shia Mosque are suicide bombers, and the occasional soldier or policeman looking for illegal weapons, or Shia terrorists. During three days of suicide bomb attacks last week, over 250 Shia Arabs were killed or wounded. The only Sunni Arab casualties were less than a dozen suicide bombers.
There appear to be almost no limits on what can be shown in Korean films. I asked Park whether there were any taboos left in cinema at all.
He thought for a while and shook his head. The only thing, he said, was a category called "outside ratings." If the sex and violence are too extreme, then a movie can be shown only in restricted cinemas. I asked him whether any films were ever criticized for their political content anymore.
Well, Park said, "when 'Joint Security Area' was released, the public was quite shocked, because the North Koreans were portrayed as human beings and not monsters, but this actually helped the film commercially." But of course "you can't praise North Korean politics. That would be very scandalous." Was that the only thing? Yes, Park replied, that was it. Otherwise, there was no longer any censorship. I was surprised, perhaps still haunted by memories of recent authoritarianism, and pressed him again. He reconsidered, shutting his eyes in thought. Well, he said, "there is one thing that can never be said in Korea. You could never say that the Japanese occupation of Korea had been beneficial. That would create even more hostility than a movie praising North Korea. It would be like telling Jews that the Holocaust didn't exist."
From a man who revels in moral ambiguities, this was a surprising statement.
The Japanese occupation lasted from 1910 until the end of World War II, and it was often brutal, but it was no Holocaust. Much of the Korean elite collaborated, as they later would with postwar dictatorships, because the occupation brought benefits too: railroads, schools, industry, efficient administration. Park admitted that the paradoxes of collaboration could be interesting and said that there were books and novels that dealt with such cases but that they couldn't yet be touched in the movies. It is a curious notion: you can show the most terrible violence in Korean films, even children being tortured, but the cherished myths of nationalist history have to be left untouched.
エコノミストには賛否両論がいろいろあるようなのだけれど、サミズデータ・ブログのコメント は: Some people, including libertarians, are a bit hard on the Economist, which often veers away from its historical attachment to free markets, liberty and limited government. I occasionally find its tone condescending but on the whole that magazine is a force for good. Let us hope that under its new editor, the Economist continues to beat the drum for classical liberalism in an era when liberty is all too often on the back foot. ttp://www.samizdata.net/blog/archives/2006/04/the_economist_o.html
She can't win. And the reason she can't win is pretty basic: People in large swaths of the United States, particularly in the "fly-over" regions between the coasts, loathe her.
My friend Lynn, for example ・・・・When I pressed her for her reasons, she said that Clinton was slimy. Slimy: like a worm, or like the green gunk that grows on fetid ponds. As for Hillary? Twice as slimy. ・・・・・・・ Hillary? Are you kidding? She can't get enough Republican votes, and the only Democrats who'd be enthusiastic about her are people whose name is also Clinton. Run a moderate Republican against her, or an exciting hero, such as the riveting (if lunatic) Arizona Sen. John McCain, and the Dems are toast for at least another four years.
(アジアの安全補償への構想の質問に答えて) THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the question. We have worked hard to make sure relations with Japan, China and South Korea are on firm footing, and they are. First, the Japanese relationship is a close relationship. I'm personally fond of Prime Minister Koizumi. We have a close relationship and I've worked very closely with him on a variety of matters, starting with making sure our force posture is such that can -- that the Japanese are comfortable with. 私たちは、日本、韓国、中国との関係を強固なものにしたいし、実際に関係は堅固だ。まず日本に ついて言うと、私は個人的に小泉首相が好きで多くの事柄において親しく会談している。駐留米軍 との問題では日本が快適であるようにしたいと思う。
I don't know if you saw the recent announcements about Okinawa, for example. You're beginning to see a defense relationship and alliance that stays intact, but is more attuned to the future. Secondly, he's committed troops into Iraq. He believes like I believe, that democracy helps keep the peace. We've worked closely in Afghanistan. In other words, we're partners in peace. 沖縄基地についての最近の発表を貴方が知っているかどうかしらないのだが、日米同盟はゆるぎなく かつ、未来志向になってきている。次に小泉首相はイラクの出兵し、彼は私と信念を同じにしている。 それは民主主義が平和を守るということで日米はアフガニスタンでも協力している。別の表現をすれ ば、両国は平和の為のパートナーである。
The South Korean issue is one, obviously, that's dominated primarily by North Korea. And I made the decision early on in the administration to change the dynamics in that negotiation from the United States and North Korea, to the United States, China, Russia, South Korea, and Japan, called the six-party talks, all aiming to get people who have got a stake with North Korea at the table, all aiming, again, to send a united voice to the North Koreans. 韓国との主要な問題は北朝鮮問題があって、私は北朝鮮との交渉のやり方を多国籍の交渉に、日韓中 ロを含むものに変えた。6者協議と呼ばれているわけで関係者が全部一堂に会する。関係国が統一した メッセージを北朝鮮に送れるようにするためだ。
I'm a little -- the North Korean nuclear issue disturbs me, but also equally disturbs me is the fact that people are being starved to death. And it should disturb the world. It should disturb all of us. The North Korea issue dominates my discussions with South Korea. However, there's a -- South Korea and America has committed ourselves to the peace that comes, or the balance that comes with the U.S. force presence there in South Korea, although it's been reduced, as well. We did not reduce force; we reduced manpower, as you probably know since you study it. 北朝鮮の核問題は私にとって悩ましいものだが、それ以上に私にとっても世界にとっても問題である のは北朝鮮の国民が飢餓で死んでいることだ。北朝鮮問題が米韓会談にとって最重要だ。しかしなが ら米韓両国は同盟関係にあって平和維持の為に米軍が駐留している。在韓米軍は削減したが韓国での アメリカの軍事力は減少していない。貴方はその専門らしいから知っているだろうが、米国は兵員を 減らしただけなのだ。
The issue that is on most Americans' mind, and the issue that really is the issue of the future in many ways, is China. And I would call our relationship with China very positive and complex. It's positive because we do have dialogue. It's positive because the Chinese leadership -- Hu Jintao and his predecessor -- were able to sit down and we had pretty frank discussions about a variety of issues. 別のアメリカにとって重要な問題のひとつは、将来に大きく関係することで、中国問題だ。私は米中 関係はとてもポジティブでかつ複雑なものと思っている。両国には対話があるという意味でポジティ ブであり、私は胡錦涛主席や前の江沢民主席と各種の問題をフランクに語り合うことができる。
On our agenda, of course, is trade -- fairness in trade, as well as human rights and freedom of religion. On their issue -- on their agenda has been in the past Taiwan, of course, which is a predominate issue. I've worked hard on that issue to make it clear that our position has not changed and we do not expect either party to unilaterally change the status quo. 米中間には通商摩擦の問題がある。通商の公平さや人権問題、信教の自由の問題がある。また台湾 の問題がある。台湾問題についてはこれまで明確にしてきたように、政策を変えないし、状況を変 える一方的な変更に反対する。現状安定を求める。
And one of the things, of course, we work on is to -- would be very helpful if the Japanese and the Chinese had better relations, and the Japanese and the South Koreans. So we're spending time on that issue, as well, to try to bring a sense of -- to encourage more dialogue with -- amongst those parties. さらに、日中関係が改善すれば我々にとっていろいろやりやすくなることは確かなので、日韓関係 もそうだが、関係改善に時間を使っている。つまりそれは、これらの関係国がもっと対話を行なう ように勇気つけているということだ。
Our presence in the Far East is really important. And so, therefore, my administration has been active in making sure we stay active in the region. The visit of Hu Jintao will be an interesting and important visit. He's coming into a country where there's an over $200 -billion trade deficit and a lot of Americans are wondering, where's the equity in trade? And therefore, I think he could help the Americans understand the importance of a free trading world if he were to maybe make a statement on his currency, for example. アメリカの極東でのプレゼンスは実に重要で、アメリカはこの地域に活動的であり続けるべく行動 している。胡錦涛主席が訪米するが興味深く重要なものになろう。米中には年間$200Bのアメリカ の貿易赤字があり、アメリカ人の多くが交易の公平性を疑っている。そのため彼が訪問してアメリ カ人に自由貿易の重要さを説明してくれることと思う。中国の通貨についてもステートメントがあ るかもしれない。
I believe it's important for Americans to see a society that goes from being a -- having its economic growth driven by exports to one having its economic growth more by consumer demand inside the country. That's an important part of our dialogue with China. 私はアメリカ人が(中国が)輸出主体の成長からより国内消費主体の成長になることを理解する事 が重要と思う。それは(来るべき)中国(主席)との会談の重要な部分だ。
It's very important for him to make a declaration on international property rights -- IPR. It's difficult for a nation that likes to trade, like ours, to go into a country uncertain as to whether or not patents will be protected, or product will be protected from copy. And so it will be a wide agenda. 更に、中国の主席が知的所有権を保護すると宣言することが重要だ。通商を行なう米国や他の国にと って特許が保護されるかどうか疑わしいとか、コピー商品が作られないかとか、そういう国と交易す るのは難しい。これも広範な会談のテーマだ。
The Far -- the Pacific area is a very important part of our foreign policy. It's one where we've got a very active presence, and we'll continue to keep one. We've got a free-trade agreement -- you mentioned Singapore -- we've got a free-trade agreement with Singapore. And it's our -- my relationship with these countries is based more than on just trade and commercialism. Mine is to work toward more democracy and freedom, as well, in the region so that we can keep the peace in the long run. 極(東)、いや太平洋地域は、アメリカ外交の重要な部分でアメリカは活発にプレゼンスを行いそれ を継続する。アメリカは自由貿易協定を、貴方が指摘したようにシンガポールと結んでいる。そして 私は、交易以上に、より自由と民主主義の進展にむけて、太平洋地域全体との長期的な関係を維持し たい。
I keep repeating this, I know, but I firmly believe that one way you lay the foundation for peace is to spread liberty and freedom. And there -- again, I understand there's a debate. There's a legitimate debate. I'm just telling you what my position is. And I got something to say about it. 私はこのことをいつも言っているわけだが、それを固く信じている。平和を実現する方法のひとつは 自由と民主を広げることであると。これには議論があろうが、それは尤もなことで、私は私のポジシ ョンを説明している。それは、私が言っておきたいことであるためだ。
What the transcript revealed was a sharp debate raging among reformers who want a stronger dose of market economics along with liberal political reforms, and Marxist conservatives who want a greater degree of state intervention and authoritarian politics. Most of those who attended the forum supported Deng Xiaoping's vision and the discussion took the tone of rebutting the arguments of these conservatives.
One such Marxist intellectual is Gong Xiantian, who was not at the forum but whose views cast a large shadow during the discussion. A law professor from Peking University, Gong put himself in the media spotlight when he wrote an open letter to the Chinese leadership last August criticizing the draft of a law to protect private property.
Such a law "would undermine the legal foundation of China's socialist economy," Gong wrote in his letter, and it "would pose a serious violation against China's constitution, which stipulates that socialist public property is deemed sacrosanct and shall be free from encroachment." He argued that the draft law "puts state-owned property and private property under indiscriminate protection," the equivalent of offering equal protection to "a rich man's car and a beggar's stick."
(MR. MCCORMACK) But let me make clear, this is not a convocation of the six-party talks. This is an academic conference. And right now, Ambassador Hill doesn't have any meetings planned with anybody from the North Korean delegation. I expect that if they see each other in the hallway, that they will be polite to one another, but they don't have any scheduled meetings at this point.
MR. MCCORMACK: Right. Well, I think the President just addressed this very question not more than an hour ago. The White House has responded to these news reports. They've called them wild speculation. I don't have anything to add with regard to the Department of Defense's military contingency planning. I'd refer you over to them. The President, Secretary Rice have made very clear that our focus is on diplomacy; that's what the Secretary is focused on at this point.
As reported in Al-Hayat (80 Killed and More than 130 Injured by Suicide Bombings Targeting Shia Mosque in Baghdad... Sistani Calls the UIA to 'Make Concessions on Some Points' and Warns that He May Withdraw His Support), the Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has shifted ground and is advising (read: instructing) Iraq's largest party, the United Iraqi Alliance, to make unspecified concessions to the Sunnis in order to break the political gridlock and help form a government of national unity.
The statement was issued through Abdul Mahdi al-Karbala'i, a key Sistani representative. The appeal was supported by Sadr al-Din al-Qabanji, the Imam of the Hussein Fatimid Mosque in Najaf, who urged Shia leaders to heed Sistani's call forthwith. Although unspecified, this probably means that PM-nominee Ibrahim Jaafari should be replaced by someone more acceptable to the Sunnis. Most ominously for the UIA, Sistani warned that he might withdraw his support for the coalition if its factions failed to agree to concessions necessary for a unity government.
SUMMARY: The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury is amending the Foreign Assets Control Regulations, 31 CFR part 500, effective May 8, 2006, to add a new provision limiting the authorization of post-June 19, 2000 transactions involving property in which the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (``North Korea'') or a national thereof has an interest. The new provision prohibits United States persons from owning, leasing, operating or insuring any vessel flagged by North Korea.
April 10, 2006 It's that Time of the Month It's time for me to do my update on Iraq based on the Iraq Index from the Brookings Report. I was on vacation last week, so its one week late.
The centre-left party says it is on course to win a one-seat majority in the Upper House (Senate). In the Lower House, official data shows Mr Prodi has taken 49.81 per cent of the vote to 49.74 per cent for Mr Berlusconi's House of Freedoms Alliance.
中道左派は上院で一議席差で勝利と言っている。下院は中道左派=49.81%、中道右派=49.74%
Official data says the centre-left won the Lower House by just 25,224 votes. A check on all the spoilt ballots, as demanded by the centre-right, could open the door to a legal challenge of the result.
"It would open up a long period of uncertainty that could end with new elections, a grand coalition as in Germany, or some kind of government of technocrats."
"Italy's economy is in structural crisis and it needs shock therapy to get out of it," said Bank of America economist Lorenzo Codogno before the election. "Whoever wins has about three months to convince markets he is serious about lowering the deficit and debt, and then they must set about passing reforms to liberalize the economy." Economists' prescriptions for the euro zone's third largest economy are invariably the same, and include lower public spending, lower taxes and liberalization of services.
"A hung parliament would be the worst possible result, it would be very negative for reforms which are so badly needed in Italy and it would be bad for prospects of fiscal consolidation as well," said Goldman Sachs economist Ines Lopes.
In recent days speculation has been rife as to whether radical Islamist Moqtada Sadr would abandon the political process and make full-scale war on his enemies among the Shia of Iraq, or whether Ayatollah Ali Sistani would succeed in holding together the United Iraqi Alliance, the large Shia party with multiple factions, among them Sadr's. Sunday I wrote about how Sistani was increasing the pressure on the UIA, threatening to withdraw his patronage of the party if they did not maintain a united front and make unspecified "concessions" to the Sunnis and the Kurds. Sadr has been stirring up a lot of violence lately, and Sistani himself has been reported to be under threat. The key issue was whether or not Interim Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari would be able to continue as the nominee of the UIA or not. Sunni and Kurd leaders have (unusually) united on this issue and are totally opposed to Jaafari.
According to Al-Hayat, Sadr seems to have stepped back from the brink again (Proposal to Put Forward Abd al-Mahdi, Names Circulated Include al-Maliki, Adeeb and Rabi'i... The Sadr Faction Agrees on Replacing Jaafari and the UIA Begins Fight for a Replacement). According to the article, Sadr has agreed to pull back on insisting that Jaafari be prime minister if the UIA can come to a consensus on another candidate. That is certainly not a given, but if this report holds true, then Jaafari's days are numbered; indeed, by the end of the day Tuesday his candidacy may well be over. If Sadr is ready to throw in the towel, it is over.
The article lists other potential candidates: Adel Abd al-Mahdi of SCIRI, who lost to Jaafari by one vote in the original UIA nomination process; Ali Adeeb from Dawa (Jaafari's party), Jawad Maliki, also from Dawa, Muwafaq Rabi'i, the national security advisor, and Abd al-Karim al-Anzi, who is head of Dawa.
``There's lots of speculators betting that we're going to break the 8 yuan per dollar level soon,'' said Shahab Jalinoos, head of Asian currency strategy at ABN Amro in Singapore. ``The authorities are very averse to speculators trying to make money, so they're making it hard for them.''
April 11 (Bloomberg) -- Oil rose above $69 a barrel in London for the first time on concern supplies from Iran, the world's fourth-largest producer, will be disrupted by the dispute over its nuclear research.
Chinese and North Korean officials met on Monday, and then the top U.S. diplomat in the talks, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, had talks at the Chinese embassy Tuesday with China's Vice Foreign Minister, Wu Dawei. 月曜日に中国と北朝鮮の代表が東京で会談、ついで米国のヒル代表が火曜日に中国代表と会談。
However, Hill later dashed any hopes of an imminent meeting with the North Korean negotiator, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwan. しかしヒル代表は北朝鮮との会談を拒否した
"I'm not aware of that," said Hill. "Nothing is scheduled, nothing has changed." 「そういう話は知らない、スケジュールされていない。何も変わっていない」とヒル代表
The talks between Hill and Wu at the Chinese embassy came after a series of discussions over the last several days, some one-on-one and others involving several nations - all seeking ways to break the stalemate. ヒル代表と中国側との会談は中国大使館デ行なわれ、これはそれまでの、他国との多くの会談の 後になされたが、それらは6者協議再開を目指していた。
``We've had plenty of talk,'' Christopher Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told reporters at the forum at Mita Conference Hall in central Tokyo. ``We need to see more action.'' 「我々は、大変多くの会談を重ねてきた」とヒル代表は語った「我々は、いまや行動を望んでいる」
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo denied reports of a meeting. Asked whether Hill met the North Korean delegate, Embassy Spokesman Jeffrey Hill said: ``No.'' 東京の米国大使館は米朝会談の報道を否定した。大使館のスポークスマンがヒル代表と北朝鮮代表 の会談を問われて、NOと答えた。
``Ambassador Hill has no plans to meet with North Korean delegate while in Tokyo,'' said Hill, who is not related to the diplomat. ``There has been no change in his stance.'' 「ヒル代表は北朝鮮代表と東京での会談の予定はない」とスポークスマンが答えた。「代表のスタ ンスには何に変化も無い」
``Maybe they're delaying because they haven't made a decision what to do,'' he said. ``They need to make a decision.'' 北朝鮮がマカオの銀行に関連する偽札やマネーロンダリングについての金融制裁の解除を6者協議の 条件にしていることについて大使館のスポークスマンは「恐らく北朝鮮はどう対処すべきか決められ なくて時間稼ぎをしているのだろう」とコメントした。「彼等は態度を決める必要がある」
The political classes in both Italy and France are still struggling to come to terms with the relative decline of the core states of the European Union. Both elites were suspicious of the New Europe to the east; both still cling to dreams of a United States of Europe, despite the rejection of the European Constitution in last year's French and Dutch referendums. Mr. Prodi may try to exploit his victory to lead a new attempt to revive such dreams of a centralized European federation. ヨーロッパのエリートは昨年のEU憲章の国民投票失敗で消えた欧州統合の夢から醒めていない ロマノ・プロディはその欧州憲章の承認に向かって再挑戦するかもしれない。
If he does, I predict he will fail.The European Union is not only more diverse but also more divided than ever. France and Italy may have signaled that they reject the Atlantic world of open markets and open societies. But the Poles and other central European peoples are mostly eager to belong to the Anglosphere. So Margaret Thatcher's vision - a Europe of free trade and nation states - lives to fight another day. もしそうなれば、私は予言するが、それは失敗する。EUは更に分裂的になることであろう。フラ ンスとイタリーは英米的な開放市場経済と開放社会を否定するかもしれない。しかし他の欧州の国 はアングロサクソンのモデルを受け入れるだろう。
What, though, do the events of April 10 mean for America? The loss of a small Italian contingent in Iraq, which was due to be withdrawn eventually, is not a major blow to American prestige. Nor does the failure of the French to reform their sclerotic economy in itself damage American interests. Even as two of the big four countries in Europe take the wrong direction, Angela Merkel's government is slowly but surely moving Germany in the right one. では、そうしたイタリーやフランスの変化はアメリカにとって何を意味するのか?イタリー軍の イラクからの撤退は大きな問題ではない。いずれにせよそれは撤退を予定していたのだから。フ ランスの経済改革失敗もアメリカにダメージを与えない。欧州の四大国の二つが間違った方向に 進むとしても、メルケルのドイツは緩やかではあるが正しい方向に向かっている。(後略)
Senator Frist’s appearances on the Glenn and Helen Show have gotten him excited about podcasting. Today we’re launching our own on the VOLPAC site: iFrist Podcasts.
We’ve got 5 legislative updates up on the site and on iTunes. We’ll be continuing to post these, but we’re most excited about the interactivity of “Majority Leader’s Questions.” Basically, we’ll be soliciting questions on the blog for the Senator to answer unscripted each week. Here’s the link . . . make sure and check out the (hilarious) picture of the Senator with his iPod. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 先にインスタプンディットがビル・ファスト上院議員に電話インタビューしたPodcastをうpして いたのだけれど、上院議員がそれに目をつけて、自分達でもPodcastを始めたというもの。確かに 国会議員が、自己の支持者たちに語りかけたり活動を説明するにはPodcastは便利かもしれない。
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Washington would "be talking about the way forward with the other members of the Security Council and Germany about how to address this" if Iran continued to move in its current direction.
The U.N. Security Council has demanded Iran shelve enrichment activity and on March 29 asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to report on its compliance in 30 days.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei is expected to visit Iran later this week to seek full Iranian cooperation with the Council and IAEA inquiries. The announcement of advances in enrichment work casts an embarrassing cloud over that trip.
The IAEA had no immediate comment.
A Western diplomat said it was possible Iran was "putting on this drama to step back", but said this was still speculation. "It's totally the wrong signal," the diplomat added.
Mr. Ahmadinejad's speech yielded more political overtones than it did technical surprises.
Songs and demonstrations on stage reflected nationalistic pride, including one with a line-up of brightly costumed men. A small box was carried on the stage which was said to contain the first enriched uranium. The announcer said that the sample would be saved at a museum. 演出された歌や明るい色のコスチュームの男たちのラインアップなど、デモンスト レーションは国のプライドを反映していた。ステージに小箱が運ばれ、その箱は濃縮されたウラン が入れられているという。アナウンサーはこの最初のサンプルは博物館に収納されると述べた。
The bad news is that Italy faces paralysis after their election. The good news is there's more time for lunch in the country with the best food (tied with Japan, in my estimation). (paralysis:麻痺状態) April 11, 2006 The bad news and the good news ttp://www.rogerlsimon.com/
The new rules, issued on SARFT's Web site (www.sarft.gov.cn) late on Monday, said historical soap operas that involve "major or sensitive" issues -- including political, military and religious themes -- must receive approval. 中国当局が月曜日に発表したTVドラマや報道の規則は(www.sarft.gov.cn)に掲載されている。 歴史ドラマで「主要な敏感な問題」つまり、政治、軍事、宗教に関わるものは事前承認を必要 とする。
Those that "seriously" depart from censors' demands will not be given screening approval, SARFT said. 当局の求める基準から「深刻に」乖離するものは放映許可が与えられない
SARFT also warned local television stations to stick to international news reports provided by the state-run China Central Television, and avoid foreign sources. 当局はローカルTV局にも国際ニュースについて、外国のソースを避け、国営CCTVのソース を使うように求めている。
"Recently, some foreign news services and media have used a variety of methods to sell international news material to domestic local stations, and (the reports) have clear political intentions," SARFT's Web site said. 「最近、幾つかの外国報道機関やメディアは国内のローカルTVに、ニュース報道の売込みを図っ ている。外国のニュース報道には明確な政治的意図がある」 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ttp://www.sarft.gov.cn/manage/publishfile/35/3626.html 中国広電の総局は《ドラマ製作、記録、撮影、に関する暫定的管理方法を公示する》
ハドソン・レビュー:ヨーロッパの危機 By Bruce Bawer ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 長い、本格的な論評で、ここで取り上げているのはヨーロッパに増え続けているイスラム移民の 問題。オランダで起こった Pim Fortuyn暗殺事件やゴッホ監督暗殺事件のあとで、イスラム(原 理主義)の脅威をいう本が現れ始めていること。さらに、それを誤った考えとするヨーロッパ・ アラブ融和派の論文や著作の現れていることについて、代表的な論者、著作を取り上げて論評し ている。読みやすくはないけれど重大なテーマで論評の切れ味は良い。
この中でTimothy Garton Ash(オクスフォード大学教授、European Studies Centre, さらに Stanfordののの Hoover Institutionのフェロー)の論が紹介されていて(チャプターIV)かな りの辛口の批評。
“The populations of Europe,” he explains, “are aging fast, so more immigrants will be needed to support the pensioners, and these will largely be Muslim immigrants. For this increasingly Muslim Europe to define itself against Islam would be ridiculous and suicidal.”
It’s true that Europe is going to need immigrants to support pensioners; but this fact, in and of itself, doesn’t close the door on legitimate questions about Muslim immigration. Europeans, he charges, don’t make Muslims feel at home in Europe; they don’t make them feel they’re really Europeans.
Astonishingly, however, after ignoring or denying these problems in chapter after chapter, Garton Ash does a sudden about-face, admitting (on pages 197?8) that there is a problem with Islam in Europe, and that if it isn’t addressed properly, “we face a downward spiral which will be the curse of the national politics of Europe for years ahead . . . To halt this downward spiral is the single most urgent task of European domestic politics in the next decade. We may already be too late . . .” This admission follows 196 pages of pretending that the “urgent tasks” of European politics lie elsewhere; and after he’s made it, he drops the topic cold and returns to the more comfortable conceit that the real European dilemma is this business about Britain bringing the U.S. and Europe together.
And 500 kilometers is the distance from Riyadh to Bahrain on the east coast・・・・and you are finally in the country of Bahrain, with, for many Saudis, its intoxicating mixture of Arabia and relative freedom. Then, a few miles along the road, there arises, like a mirage, the Seef Mall complex, with its unsegregated food court, its air-conditioned multiplex cinema, popcorn, men and women and children all sitting together, the lot. Paradise on earth.
North Korea, which is in a standoff with the U.S. over its nuclear weapons program, kept the portion of its annual budget earmarked for defense unchanged at 15.9 percent while boosting funding for agriculture to alleviate famine.
The country will keep its defense allocation unchanged from 2005 to ``develop the national defense industry and thoroughly implement the Party's policy to put all the people under arms and convert the whole country into a fortress,'' Korea Central News cited Ro as saying.
Maybe this will now focus minds on the real Iranian bomb scare -- the risk that a repressive regime with huge oil and gas reserves, "revolutionary" ideals, regional ambitions and a global terrorist network will be in a position to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.
Those reports got some added media play last week following the publication of an article by New Yorker staff journalist Seymour Hersh, which claims the Bush Administration is seriously considering a tactical nuclear strike against some of Iran's hardened, deeply buried weapons' installations.
For our part, we only hope the Administration has a full range of military contingency plans for Iran. Such planning is in one sense routine -- the Pentagon constantly devises war games for every conceivable situation against every conceivable adversary.
But it would also be irresponsible for the Administration not to draw up contingency plans given the threat Iran increasingly poses -- a point that should be especially well-taken by critics of the Iraq War who claim the Bush Administration was negligent in its postwar planning.
We suspect that much of this Iranian bomb scare has less to do with actual war plans than with an attempt to portray Mr. Bush as war-happy in an election year and when we are already in a hard slog in Iraq. But if it also has the added effect of persuading Tehran's mullahs that the U.S. is serious about not letting them get the bomb, then maybe this "speculation" will have done some good.
In fact, the heads of Samsung and Hyundai Motor are chock full of contrition for alleged wrongdoings. But letting the justice system work, while admirable, isn't enough. Until South Korea tackles its clubby corporate culture and truly throws open its markets to competition, more and more of these cases will surface.
Pardon us for not shedding a tear here. While South Korea's chaebols played a big role in the country's rapid economic development, their place in today's global economy is quickly slipping away.
Imagine how many more of these titans would be spawned if foreign tie-ups were embraced, trade barriers slashed and labor laws reformed. Most importantly, imagine the corporate governance discipline that kind of competitive market would impose on Korean companies' activities.
A top-level bureaucrat hinted last week that Roh Moo Hyun's government is mulling broader protections for Korean industry from foreign mergers and acquisitions.
The president himself weighed in late last month, calling for regulation of private capital flows into the country. Meanwhile, prominent privatization initiatives have stalled.
We've seen this kind of situation before. It's called "French capitalism." Here's the way it works: a government is elected on a broadly anti-American, anti-capitalist political platform. Whenever the masses get whipped up about "foreigners" coming in to take over domestic industries, the leader plays the populist card and shoos them away. And as competition withers, corruption remains endemic, and everyone -- foreign investors and domestic shareholders, alike -- loses.
South Korea simply isn't in a position to play this kind of game. The country remains heavily dependent on exports, and while per capita income is rising, it's still not in the big leagues with, say, neighboring Japan. Mr. Roh's government needs to tackle the root of the problem; namely, the environment in which these companies operate. Only then can South Korea stop saying "sorry."
BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- China plans to set up special service centers in 50 cities within three years to handle domestic complaints on the infringement of intellectual property rights (IPR), Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Jiang Zengwei said here Tuesday.
Upon completion, these service centers will be connected to official websites of departments in charge of IPR protection, he said. According to Jiang, the emphasis of China's IPR protection in 2006 is to establish a vertical IPR protection system from the central government to local governments at all levels.
China will strengthen its efforts in combating pirated cads, handling trademark and patent right infringement as well as enhancing the administration of expositions to prevent fake or IPR infringement goods, said Jiang. Enditem
China would make the yuan convertible eventually, but it would tread cautiously in the process, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said in a statement posted on its Web site, (www.safe.gov.cn), reaffirming its policy.
"We must be clear-headed in the process of steadily pushing forward the yuan's capital- account convertibility, refrain from being rigid and conservative, but prevent any blind and rash moves," Li Dongrong, vice head of SAFE, was quoted as saying. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ttp://www.safe.gov.cn/model_safe/zssk/zssk_detail.jsp?id=6&ID=150800000000000000,2
China made a slew of trade concessions on Tuesday designed to allay mounting US anger over what is seen as its unfair trading practices and lax protection of intellectual property rights.
Among the concessions was an agreement to clamp down on pirated software by allowing software to be preloaded on to computers before they are sold. About 90 per cent of software used in China in 2004 consisted of illegal, unlicensed copies worth about $3.5bn
China agreed to begin negotiations to sign the WTO’s government procurement agreement, designed to prevent discrimination against foreign companies in government tenders. But the Chamber of Commerce, one of many US business groups to applaud yesterday’s progress, said it was disappointed talks might not begin until late 2007.
In other sectors, there will be a lowering in the capitalisation requirement for foreign companies wishing to operate telecoms services in China. Barriers to the sale of US medical devices will also be lifted.
インターネットの電子メールのためのPGP encryptionを発明したPhil Zimmermannが、VOIP (telephone calls over the Internet)電話の為のソフト、Zfoneを開発した。無償で使いや すく諜報機関は頭を抱えている。この暗号手法は簡単に解析できないのでテロリストや犯罪 者が秘密の電話をするのは絶好で盗聴がほぼ不可能である(解析に時間がかかりすぎる) ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー Phil Zimmermannのサイト ttp://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/background/index.html
Zfoneはベータ版が Mac OS X (Tiger)とLinux用に公開されているけれどWindowsXP用は 4月半ば公開予定だという Downloading and installing Zfone Zfone GUI
Note: The Zfone public beta is available today for Mac OS X (Tiger) and Linux. The Windows XP version will be available in mid-April. We'll update this page when we have the Windows version ready. In the meantime, we suggest you don't wait for the Windows version. Give the Mac version a try, just to see it work. ttp://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/zfone/index-start.html
Graham had told me: "Sistani is a living example of an apolitical Islamic clergyman. He specifically says his role is that of spiritual guide."
"He's central to resolving the situation Najaf," Graham said. He added that winning the global war against Islamist extremism meant that moderate Muslim clerics had to speak out, but -- and here's the quote I remember -- "The pro-democracy moderate Muslim cleric doesn't have to be found. That's Sistani. Fortunately, he is the most influential religious leader in Iraq."
Sistani's aides told Iraqi and coalition officers: "Let us deal with Sadr. We know how to handle him and will do so. However, the coalition must not make him a martyr."
Outsiders -- including U.S. government officials -- can bewail the Iraqi parliament's lack of progress in forming a government, but since the middle of March I strongly suspect the hidden story has been the Interior Ministry and the Iraqi nationalists' war on Sadr.
It's a quiet police and political war waged with the blessing of Ayatollah Sistani. Creating a strong and stable Iraqi government (the so-called "national rescue front") is the goal. Sistani has advised Shia leaders to make concessions to Sunnis in order to establish a "unity government." That's an action anathema to Sadr.
ttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB114470634808922206.html THINKING GLOBAL By FREDERICK KEMPE U.S. Sees Europe as New Front Against Islamist Extremism Senior Bush Aides Conclude Continent's Muslim Minority Poses Rising Security Threat April 11, 2006; Page A8
The administration's evolving thinking came into sharper focus last week during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing at which Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Daniel Fried said: "While Islamist extremism is a global phenomenon, we find the nature of the problem in Western Europe to be distinct -- both in its character and its potential to threaten the United States."
The evolving U.S. approach adds soft power to the hard power of expanding law-enforcement and intelligence cooperation with European states through increased efforts to combat extremist ideology. That involves engaging the moderate Muslim majority by, among other measures, bringing more Muslims into such existing trans-Atlantic exchanges as the high-profile Fulbright academic-exchange program and the International Visitors Leadership program, whose aim is to identify and cultivate emerging leaders. The State Department also has launched initiatives to bring together U.S. and European Muslims.
What the U.S. can't fix, however, are inflexible European social and economic structures that worsen the problem. High unemployment rates leave Muslim youth without jobs. Anti- Muslim discrimination feeds alienation. Existing national identities leave little room for second- and third-generation immigrants to integrate. Aging societies feed fear and anti-immigrant political movements.
One senior U.S. policy maker believes that over the next 20 to 30 years, Europe will either become a much more dangerous and divided place or it will see the emergence of "Modern Islam" that is compatible with democracy and Western values. As a point of hope, he notes that Judaism's own encounter with the enlightenment came in Europe and resulted in its reform and modernization. The problem is that moderate Muslims remain largely silent and haven't yet provided the intellectual leaders for such a movement.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, Iran has begun its enrichment of uranium. Is it time to take stronger action against Tehran and have they crossed a red line and should the UN Security Council now impose financial or other sanctions? Should there be an emergency meeting?
SECRETARY RICE: Let me remind everyone that the international community made a very clear statement through the presidential statement that was adopted by the Security Council and that that statement required Iran to live up to the obligations that were to be imposed upon it by the IAEA from its February board meeting. That meant that Iran was to suspend its enrichment activities and it was to return to negotiations, and this was a clear indication that the world is very concerned about the course of nuclear developments in Iran. This is not a question of Iran's right to civil nuclear power. This is a question of that the world does not believe that Iran should have the capability and the technology that could lead to a nuclear weapon. Iran has a long period trying to reestablish confidence with the international system given its behavior.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, we have experts saying that as ominous as this may be, there's a lot, very, very much more, that Iran has to accomplish in order to pose a nuclear threat. They haven't got the equipment. They have -- there are all sorts -- they don't have the same -- they don't have a reactor. Is it -- should Americans be alarmed or alert, or what?
SECRETARY RICE: We are going to be steady in our diplomatic track here because we believe that a concerted and coherent diplomatic policy that the world is behind will convince the Iranians that they have to come back into compliance with what the international community is demanding of them. But there are demands on the table and the Iranians need to accede to those demands. This is also, as I said, an issue for the Security Council that issued this presidential statement and so we're consulting with our allies about what the next steps need to be. But there's no doubt in my mind that if the Iranians continue down this course there has to be some course of action by the Security Council.
Now, this latest announcement yesterday by the Iranian regime is just a step that is going to further isolate Iran. It demonstrates that Iran is not adhering to the international community's requirements. And I do think that the Security Council will need to take into consideration this move by Iran and that it will be time when it reconvenes on this case for strong steps to make certain that we maintain the credibility of the international community on this issue.
Iran has been offered many opportunities to negotiate in good faith -- by the Europeans, by the Russians. They've never taken those opportunities. They are -- we've had a presidential statement that made numerous -- that reinforced those requirements. The Iranians did not react to that. And so yes, when we -- we're consulting now and when the Security Council reconvenes, I think it will be time for action. ttp://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2006/64434.htm#iran April 12, 2006 (10:00 a.m. EST)
Yesterday, Iran's deputy nuclear chief announced that his country had informed United Nations nuclear inspectors that it would start installing 3,000 centrifuges before the end of 2006 at its Natanz facility, with 54,000 as its ultimate goal. Iranian officials insist that they have no weapons ambitions and are solely interested in producing nuclear fuel for their still-unfinished reactor at Bushehr.
China aims to cut the number of central government-owned enterprises by about half, with some of the remaining companies then seeking to list their shares or sell stakes to foreign or private Chinese investors. 中国は国営企業の数を半分に減らし、残る企業を上場させ株式を売り出すか外国人投資家に持ち株 を売却する予定とした。
Wang Zhigang, chief of the corporation-research department of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, said the reductions will be achieved mostly through mergers among the existing 167 central government-owned companies, which are in industries ranging from oil and tobacco to telecommunications. 国家資産監督庁の企業調査部門の主任、Wang Zhigangは、167の国営企業数の減少はおもにM&Aに よるとした。これらの企業はタバコ、通信、石油など多岐の分野にわたる。
"The goal is for the number of companies to total 80 or 100 in the end" with less- competitive enterprises merged with more-successful ones, he said. 「目標は企業数を80から100に減らすこと」で、競争力の低い企業をより成功している吸収させると した。
Under the commission's plan, China is expected for a certain period to retain full ownership of companies in sectors that are strategic or vital to national security, Mr. Wang said. These potentially include military enterprises, energy companies and certain other natural -resources businesses, he said, though the concept could change depending on the "bigger environment." 中国政府は戦略的な企業や国家の安全保障にとって重要な企業は国営化を継続するとしている。それ は軍事産業、エネルギー産業、資源関連企業などであるとした。
Other government-owned companies could move in the direction of a "relative controlling stake," which could be less than 50%, from a "high degree of state control" -- more than 50% -- through stock-market listings or sales of stakes to foreign or private Chinese investors, Mr. Wang said. それ以外の企業は「相対的な支配的管理(の持ち株)」に移行する。それは50%以下の場合がある。 株式は市場を通じて国内投資家や外国人投資家に販売する。
"These are opportunities for foreign investors," he said. But "we hope if [foreign companies] come in to buy our enterprises, they should be responsible. They should preserve some of our things...and not dispose of [a Chinese company's] product and brand abruptly." 「これは外国人投資家に知っての機会である」と彼は言う「中国政府は外国人投資家が中国の企業を 買収した場合、責任を持って管理することを望む」
China again ruled out any sudden move to make its currency fully convertible, further damping expectations of a breakthrough on the issue days ahead of a visit to Washington by Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Mr. Berlusconi had lost but, as even his enemies on the left had to admit, he was in many ways the big winner, having trailed Mr. Prodi in the polls by double digits just a few weeks ago. He had demonstrated an uncanny ability to "connect" with the electorate, something that virtually the entire foreign press corps in Italy either does not understand or refuses to acknowledge.
The mother of a South Korean man abducted by North Korea has urged Pyongyang to send back the son she hasn't seen since 1978, when he was 16. At a news conference in Seoul Wednesday, Choi Gye-wol, 78, also asked the South Korean government to arrange a meeting with her son, Kim Young-nam.
"Even if I don't know whether it would come true, I really want to live with him if (North Korea) sends him back (to South Korea)," his mother said, the Korea Herald reported Thursday. "I heard he married a Japanese person and has a daughter. I want to see my granddaughter too. ... That's my wish before I die," she said, wiping tears from her eyes with a handkerchief. 「できることであれば、北朝鮮が息子を返してくれるなら、是非にも息子と一緒に暮らしたい」 「息子が結婚して娘がいると聞いたが、孫の顔を見たい。死ぬ前にそれがかなえられたらと思う」 と母親がハンカチを握り涙ながらに語った。
Regardless of any Chinese success in acquiring oil and natural gas resources, coal will remain the dominant component of the Chinese energy mix for the foreseeable future.
The paradox of this situation is that as necessary as coal is to sustaining China’s economic growth, the burden of relying on coal inhibits meaningful political and economic reforms and is emblematic of larger issues of governance in China.
China’s reliance on coal has a number of consequences for both the Chinese citizenry and the environment. The high sulfur content of much of Chinese coal results in high levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions that not only aggravates respiratory and heart problems but also contributes to the toxification of water resources and desertification through acid rain. Additionally, mine tailings, particularly from smaller producers, play a noticeable role in the already substantial loss of Chinese farmland each year.(後略)
Spain had permission to increase its carbon dioxide emissions by 15%. However, as of 2003, Spain's emissions had increased by almost 41% compared with 1990. 15%減らさないといけないのに、41%も増えちゃってる。なんで議定書を承諾したの?
The Kyoto protocol is supposedly to go into effect between 2008 and 2012, and Spain will be unable to meet its commitments. Doing so would cost at least ? 20 billion, at least 600,000 jobs, and two percentage points of inflation, not counting the companies that would move to countries where environmental restrictions are less costly. 議定書の内容にそって政策を行うと、2.8兆円コストがかかり、60万人の雇用がなくなる。 またインフレも2%上乗せ。スペインを出て行く会社も続出。
Unlike most nations, where prices rise with inflation each year, Japan has been locked in seven years of price declines, or deflation, as gloomy consumers and skeptical businesses put off purchasing, expecting that prices would continue to fall. The drag on the economy forced some companies to cut payrolls, creating what many feared would be a cycle of constantly falling prices. 日本のデフレは終わったと。
Japan is entering its fourth year of robust economic growth and has an unemployment rate of 4.1 percent, the lowest since 1998. Unlike previous, short-lived recoveries fueled by government spending, the upward trend now is based largely on slimmed-down companies posting record profit and returning to a cycle of hiring. Major banks have cleaned up their bad loans. This month, the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Nikkei index soared near a seven-year high. The Bank of Japan last month scrapped its ultra-loose monetary policy, which had had kept its key interest rate near zero percent for the past five years. 海外の日本ファンドでは35%以上の利益をだしているものもある。日本国内で売られて いるファンドはなぜか銀行でもらえる金利の10倍レベルしか還元していないようだ。経済は 活発だ。国内の投資家にもちゃんと反映してほしいものだ。
China today allowed the teenage boy it has chosen as the Panchen Lama to make his first public speech, delivering a carefully calibrated message about patriotism and harmony. Gyaltsen Norbu, 16, was selected by the Chinese Government in 1995 to be the second most senior figure in Tibetan Buddhism.
"Defending the nation and working for the people is a solemn commitment Buddhism has made to the nation and society," Norbu said. "Chinese society provides a favourable environment for Buddhist belief." 「国を守り国民のために尽くすことは仏教徒の務めであり国と社会に貢献することだ」「中国は仏教 のための好ましい環境を提供している」
Pphayulは、このロンドンタイムズの記事の最初の部分を掲載しているもので、ロンドンタイムズの オリジナル記事にはチベト仏教と後継者選びの詳しい解説がある(3ページ) ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1753147,00.html Finding their religion Peter Walker and agencies Thursday April 13, 2006
The agency quoted the notice as saying that regulators have discovered "some foreign news agencies and media have used a variety of methods to sell international news material to domestic local TV stations, which have clear political intentions." The report gave no specific examples
"Everybody in Europe agrees that things can't go on the way they are going," said Wolfgang Nowak, a German economist who is in charge of the Deutsche Bank's International Forum. "Everybody wants change," Mr. Nowak continued. "At the same time, everybody does everything so that things don't change."
"The political leaders of all these countries know what needs to be done, and it's not rocket science," 「欧州諸国の政治指導者は、何をすべきかをわかっていて、それは天才的でなくとも解ることだ」
"l think that Merkel has solved the principal unsolvable problems inside her own party," Mr. Nowak said. "The problem for her now is the Social Democrats." ノヴァクは「メルケル首相は党内の基本的な難問は解決した」「問題はSDPが残っていることだ」
"The problem is a lack of leadership and an intellectual climate that is extremely hostile to economic liberalism in much of Continental Europe," Mr. Grant said from London "The anti-liberal clerisy has basically won the intellectual argument in much of Europe," Mr. Grant said. "They've fostered the view that liberal economics leads to a kind of Dickensian vision of child labor and old women crying in the streets." ロンドンのグラントは「政治家のリーダーシップ欠如が問題だ。それに欧州大陸の知識人の雰囲気は 経済の自由化に大変敵対的なことだ」「自由経済に反対する連中の見方は、自由経済というものは ディッケンズの(クリスマス・キャロルのような)世界で、老女が街頭で泣き子供が労働に供される ような世界だ。
"The trap has snapped," the Italian daily La Repubblica commented earlier this week on the almost even split of the country's electorate. "It is as if Italy has been stung by a poisonous scorpion: it cannot build a new government, but it also can't keep the old one. It is perfect metaphor for Italy." イタリーの選挙について、レ・リパブリカ紙は書いている「ぱちんと罠に掛かったようなものだ。 (完全に二つに票が分かれたので)イタリーは毒さそりに刺されたようなもので、あらたな政府を 樹立することもできず、かといって古い政府を続けることもできない」
Robert Zoellick, U.S. deputy secretary of state, said in September that U.S. business executives who saw China as a land of opportunity in the 1990's now "worry about Chinese competition, rampant piracy, counterfeiting, and currency manipulation."
China sells little to the United States that Americans couldn't buy for comparable prices and quality from India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. China, however, could not find a market anywhere near the size of that in America. Privately and candidly, Chinese scholars acknowledge this. (そういうう↑事情はアメリカだけではなくて、日本にとっても、EUにとっても同じだけれど)
Customers from across the world come to buy bootlegs of famous brands. Rolex, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Mont Blanc. You name it, they're all here. The five-acre bazaar is often the first stop on a Shanghai tour group's itinerary. この贋物商品の商店街は有名で世界中の人がやってくる。有名ブランドならローレックスでも プラダでも、ルイヴィトン、モンブラン、・・・貴方の知っているものなら何でもある。5エーカー のバザールは上海ツアーの定番である。
The 17th century Jama Masjid is located in one of the most congested neighborhoods of New Delhi and is surrounded by hundreds of shops and houses lining a maze of crowded alleyways. #確かこれは大変ごちゃごちゃした人ごみの多い下町の中の大きな(有名な)モスクだったような。
Regional and Gulf security is impossible without Iranian involvement. The Arabs and Iranians must place their mutual suspicions on the table, aim for agreements that rationalize Arab-Iranian competition and do this within a non-confrontational framework. Negotiations and understandings with Iran on regional security are more urgent than pursuing utopian projects with the NATO alliance.
If the Arabs ally themselves with the U.S. against Iran they will be endangering their own interests and regional stability. Iranian political and spiritual leaders believe Iran is the natural source of authority for the region's Shiites, including Arab Shiites. However, many Arab Shiites reject Iranian political, as opposed to spiritual, authority. That won't prevent Iran from using the Shiite card in the event Arab states support American hostilities against Iran. True regional chaos is yet to come, but the Arabs should take preventive measures before it is too late.
Officers and staff from our embassy in Beijing and Consulate in Shenyang have visited the area and the specific site mentioned in these reports on two separate occasions. In these visits the officers were allowed to tour the entire facility and grounds and found no evidence that the site is being used for any function other than as a normal public hospital.
(イラク政治プロセスの状況) MR. MCCORMACK At this point, I can't provide you an overall update. I think they're in a better position, the parties on the ground, the Iraqi Government, those involved in the discussions are in a better place to give you an update on where they stand with the talks. I know there's an intention to convene in the parliament next week.
Certainly, the Secretary is getting updates. It's politics. There's a lot of politics going on in Iraq, but -- and as the Secretary said during her trip there, it's time to move on with the process of government formation. We have seen some progress just during her trip when they presented her with a government platform, with a -- they also presented her with their plan for how the various components of the government would actually work together. It's very important in a young democracy to have those things.
So now they're working out who's going to be sitting in which chairs, who's going to be leading the government. It's a matter of intense discussion at this point. I don't have any updates or any particular points that I would make with regard to that, but I think the Secretary's message that she sent to the political leaders of Iraq still stands today.
ただし日本については: but it also means lower birth rates because women postpone childbearing. Japan, for example, offers little support for working mothers: only 13% of children under three attend day-care centres, compared with 54% in America and 34% in Britain. (うむ、指摘はよくわかるが、各種事情を無視したちょっと乱暴な結論付けなのでは・・)
New York Times Co., publisher of the Boston Globe, International Herald Tribune and its namesake newspaper, said net earnings fell to $35 million, or 24 cents a share, from $111 million, or 76 cents a share, a year earlier. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー NYTの株価(過去2年間分) ttp://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=NYT&t=2y
At one point, the Internet search engine Google counted at least 359 articles about Molly posted on the Web, including dispatches in The Sun in Britain, The Independent in South Africa, Leading the Charge in Australia and La Tribune in France ("Sauvetage difficile pour la chatte Molly a New York"). ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー よくワカランけどNYC市民はヌコ好きなのか、NYCが昔より犯罪が減ってこういうのがトップ 記事になるようになったということなのかすらん?
"We are opposed to Japan's bid as it has not adopted the correct attitude to historic issues," the envoy said. Extending conditional support to India's bid for permanent membership of the UN Security Council, China virtually asked it not to make a claim jointly with Japan as part of G-4 if it wanted Beijing's backing.
He said China could not trust Japan to be a responsible permanent member of the Security Council. "If we let the G-4 plan to proceed, there is a danger that in the end there will be a scenario that Japan will be in and India out.
That will be the worst scene. We would like to have the situation the other way round," he said. "We feel that developing countries are not represented enough in the UN Security Council. We feel so alone there in the Security Council," he said.
Suddenly, thankfully, it does not seem that Hillary Clinton is on an automatic trajectory to become the next Democratic nominee for president. Two recent polls suggest problems that may loom in her path. 突然、喜ばしくも、ヒラリー・クリントンが自動的に次期民主党大統領候補にノミネートされる とは限らないような情勢が起こっている。最近の世論調査はヒラリーの問題点を示唆している。
And now, in a new act of revolutionary creativity, the French are at it again. To rise up against what? In massive protest against a law that would allow employers to fire an employee less than 26 years old in the first two years of his contract.
That's a very long way from liberty, equality, fraternity.
The spirit of this revolution is embodied most perfectly in the slogan on many placards: CONTRE LA PRA‰CARITA‰, or "Against Precariousness." The precariousness of being subject to being fired. The precariousness of the untenured life, even if the work is boring and the boss no longer wants you. And ultimately, the precariousness of life itself, any weakening of the government guarantee of safety, conformity, regularity. (precariousness:【名】 非常{ひじょう}に危険{きけん}であること、危険性{きけん せい}) ・・ ・・ Against precariousness? The vibrancy of a society can almost be measured by its precariousness. Free markets correlate not just with prosperity and wealth but also with dynamism.
The chief U.S. negotiator with North Korea said yesterday that Washington may investigate Swiss bank accounts held by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il if the communist state refuses to rejoin six-nation talks on its nuclear weapons.
Assistant Secretary Christopher Hill, who heads the U.S. negotiating team, was asked specifically if the United States would look into $4 billion that Mr. Kim is thought to have deposited in numbered Swiss accounts.
Mr. Hill also warned that proposed aid for the communist state in return for progress on nuclear weapons dismantlement would not stay on the table indefinitely.
According to Newsweek, Kim Jong-il has salted away more than $4 billion in Swiss bank accounts, and used forced labour to mine gold from a mountain in Korea, which is also deposited in his Swiss bank account. He has six villas in Europe, including one in Geneva, and two more in Russia and China.
Instead of rejoicing, however, Japan is engaged in a nationwide bout of hand-wringing over increasing signs that the new economy is destroying one of the nation's most cherished accomplishments: egalitarianism.
In the last six months, the U.S. Army is seeing 15 percent more soldiers re-enlist than expected. 過去6ヶ月間のアメリカ軍の再入隊率は予想される(通常の)値を15%上回る高いものになっている。 新人のリクルートも通常より良好な状態が続いている。
The large number of re-enlistments occur because the troops believe they are making a difference, and winning. This is especially true for soldiers who have come back to Iraq on a second tour, and noted the improvements since the first tour.
メディアはイラク戦争をネガティブにしか描かない。 But the attitudes of the troops themselves, the people closest to the war, are generally ignored by the mass media. If these attitudes are noted at all, they are dismissed as misguided, because the troops are too close to what is going on.
The reasoning is simple: even if the Chinese wished to respect intellectual property (a big 'if'), they simply could not do it. This is because IP requires a culture of laws and adherence to them, plus an infrastructure of courts, legal services and all the other paraphernalia of litigation and enforcement. Neither the culture nor the legal infrastructure exists in China, and it will take decades to build. Even if China's rulers wanted to transform their territory into a society which respected intellectual property, they simply could not do it on any realistic timescale.
And now, just a few weeks before the BlackBerry service launches, guess what happens? China Unicom, the state-controlled wireless network, has launched a rival service called - you got it - RedBerry.
The RedBerry is yet another blatant case of 'brand piracy' and is par for the course in China. So by all means get your stuff made there - but keep your IP at home.
The Chinese police are updating their technology, holding purchasing fairs where Western companies hawk their wares. Ethan Gutmann, an author and consultant, has alleged that China's police use software that Cisco Systems developed for its routers called "Policenet," which he says keeps track of "work history, family background, political tendencies, imaging, surfing history and e-mail for at least 60 days." And police can access the information, Gutmann says, through handheld devices that scan magnetic strips on new identity cards.
Xiao Qiang, director of the China Internet Project at the University of California at Berkeley, says China has set up Internet surveillance teams in 700 Chinese cities and provinces. They search for subversive key words in e-mails and Web sites, and have arrested dozens of people in connection with Internet-related subversion.
"The government made the decision after concluding that the investment in fixed assets and money supply increased overheatedly in the first quarter," Xinhua said.
In one troubling sign for the economy, the People's Bank of China said Friday that new loans in the first quarter reached 1.26 trillion yuan, or $156 billion. That's more than half the bank's target for all of 2006.
The two-day meetings, which also covered political and economic issues, were the first between the two countries devoted solely to Latin America, said Thomas A. Shannon, the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America. The discussions reflect China's growing influence as a global power and world-class consumer of oil and other resources, he added.
このほど米中のトップレベルの外交官が2日にわたって中国のラテンアメリカへの影響力増大につい て、政治経済的な側面から議論する機会が設けられた。中国の消費財輸出、石油やそのほかの資源 輸入がテーマのひとつとラテンアメリカ担当の外交官Thomas A. Shannonが語った。
China's Ministry of Information Industry (MII) said nearly 90 percent of China's exported electronic products come from foreign ventures. 中国産業情報相は中国の輸出するエレクトロニクス製品の90%近くは外資の企業によると述べた
In the first two months this year, exports of electronic products from foreign ventures in China reached 19.56 billion U.S.dollars with a rise of 41.2 percent year on year, accounting for 86.9 percent of the industry's total exports, show statistics withMII. 今年の2ヶ月の外資企業の輸出エレクトロニクス製品は$19.56Bにのぼり、昨年比で+41.2%であり、 この産業の輸出の86.9%を占めている。
Statistics with MII said China has around 6,480 foreign-ventured companies at the end of last year with the marketscale rising from 580.4 billion yuan in 2000 to 2.4 trillion yuan last year. 産業情報相の統計によれば中国国内には昨年末現在で6480の外資企業があり、産業規模は2000年の 5804億元から2005年には2.4兆元に拡大している。
In two Cook Political Report/RT Strategies polls - one taken in late February and the other in early April - McCain received 18 percent of the selfidentified "liberal" vote when matched up against Clinton. But will one in five liberals still support McCain if he continues to assiduously court conservatives?
In the latest Cook/RT Strategies poll, which was conducted April 6-9 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent, McCain's lead over Clinton among all adults dropped from 10 points (47 percent to 37 percent) to 5 points. Among registered voters, it dropped from 12 points (48 percent to 36 percent) to 9 points (46 percent to 37 percent).
While these shifts aren't huge, the McCain-versus-Clinton spread should be watched closely in coming months: Will it remain in the 10-15-point range that most polls have found in recent months, or will McCain's average advantage be only in single digits?
It's far more likely you'll hear an Iowa Republican in 2008 say something like, "I don't agree with McCain on everything, but he's a hero with integrity. And he can beat Hillary, so he's got my vote." ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー #マケインは保守本流と言うより、保守の枠から少々離れたところもあるので共和党内部の #支持がいまいちなのだけれど、ヒラリーに勝てる(=中間派やリベラルを取り込む)とい #う一点から、共和党の2008年大統領候補にはマケインが指名されるだろう、という予測。
Instead, the neighbors are hoping the Shia Arabs and Kurds running the new Iraqi government will help containing Iran. That is the major goal of the Arab nations of the region. That sometimes gets forgotten in the West. They never forget it in the Persian Gulf. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー #この最後の項目はとても興味深いのだけれど、メインストリームメデイアなどにそうした分析を #みない。彼らの限界がわかる。
ロボットというのは: special robots, which use a video camera and a mechanical arm to allow the EOD technician to examine, and even disarm, an IED from a distance. (ビデオカメラとメカニカル・アームを持ち、遠隔操縦でIEDを検査したり処理したり出来るもの) と書いてあって、細部に触れていない。価格が一台あたり数十万ドル(数千万円)と書いているので かなり精巧なものと思える。
American counter-terrorism tactics have emphasized going after the bomb builders, and the paymasters. With more Iraqi police on the street, it's been easier to track down the bomb workshops, bomb builders and everyone involved with IEDs. All of a sudden, a dangerous business got too dangerous.
これとは別に、シンクタンクISISはイランがイスファンの施設に新たなトンネル入り口を つくり、この施設でウランをガス拡散濃縮用の原料に加工しているとした。2月には入り口は 2箇所であったが、新たな入り口が作られ「これは新たな地下施設の建設、あるい既存の地下 施設の拡張を意味する」という。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ISISのサイトに衛星写真とかがうpされているらすいのだけれど重くてうまく読めないorz ttp://www.isis-online.org/ New on the ISIS Website ISIS Imagery Brief: "New Activities at the Esfahan and Natanz Nuclear Sites in Iran," David Albright & Paul Brannan, April 14, 2006. ttp://www.isis-online.org/publications/iran/newactivities.pdf
John Burgess at Crossroads Arabia writes about the Saudi interior ministry's expanded efforts at transparency in fighting terror funding. Burgess says that while the government has been making efforts in the past to crack down on terror funding, it hasn't given the issue much domestic publicity, perhaps (this is my opinion) due to domestic support for the terrorists. Burgess believes this is changing. ttp://www.arabworldanalysis.com/blog/ ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー この元ネタは ttp://xrdarabia.org/blog/archives/2006/04/14/saudis-try-to-contain-terrorist-funding/ Interior Ministry Probes Suspected Terror-Funding JEDDAH, 15 April 2006
According to this Arab News article, the Saudi government is now becoming more vocal about its efforts to get control over the vehicles now being used to fund terror. While the Saudis have been out there in naming individuals and organizations suspected of funding terror?including freezing bank accounts?they've not be terribly transparent about it within the country. Particularly since the US Dept. of the Treasury and the Congress have been on them about still too lax controls, this seems to be their effort to fix things.
現在アメリカには600以上の石炭火力発電所があり、その排出するCO2はアメリカ全体の排出 量の36%を占める。これは世界全体のCO2排出の10%近くになる。この大規模な発電施設 をCO2の排出の少ないものに置き換える唯一の手段は原子力発電である。(後略) ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace, is chairman and chief scientist of Greenspirit Strategies Ltd. He and Christine Todd Whitman are co-chairs of a new industry-funded initiative, the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, which supports increased use of nuclear energy.
"Over the next ten years, nuclear power cannot contribute either to the need for more generating capacity or to carbon reductions as it simply could not be built in time," said the report entitled "Keeping the Lights On".
Anthony Zinni(前のCentcom Commander)の場合、彼は長年のアラブ融和派なので、そもそもイラ ク戦争に反対していて中東のアラブの独裁者達と紛争を起こすべきではなく独裁者の追放は軍の仕 事では無いという立場なので、自由と民主主義を広げるというブッシュ政権のドクトリンに反対し ている。(それはラムズフェルド長官個人への攻撃とは矛盾する)
Charles H. Swannack Jrなどの将軍は、少なすぎる兵力でイラク占領を始めたとしてラムズフェル ド長官を非難しているけれど、少数戦力による占領を主張する一派はペンタゴンの中にいて、ラム ズフェルド長官個人の独裁ではなく、例えばJohn Abizaidなどもそうであるし、軍事占領計画は組 織が決めて実行したものでラムズフェルド長官個人の判断ともいえない。イラク侵攻と占領政策に ついて書かれたものからはラムズフェルド長官の意向とは異なる政策が幾つか実施されてきた(そ の一部は明らかな判断の誤りで、セントラルコマンドがラムズフェルドに反対して決めた)
Mr. Rumsfeld's departure has been loudly demanded in various quarters for a couple of years now, without much success, and on Friday Mr. Bush said he still has his every confidence. We suspect the President understands that most of those calling for Mr. Rumsfeld's head are really longing for his.
April 17 (Bloomberg) -- China plans to let investors buy stocks using borrowed money and sell shares they don't own, seeking to channel more of the nation's $4 trillion of bank deposits into the stock market and boost trading.
``Financial innovation is a two-edged sword,'' said Haitong's Qiu. ``The challenge is whether regulators can control the risks, as China's market is infamous for its speculative nature.'' 「金融制度改革というのは両刃の刃だ。規制監督当局が適切なリスク管理を行なえるかが問題で、 特に中国にあっては株式市場は投機的な傾向が強いのだから」
Lt. Gen. Crosby (ret.) is former deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Lt. Gen. McInerney (ret.) is former assistant vice chief of staff, U.S. Air Force. Maj. Gen. Moore (ret.), U.S. Air Force, was director of Central Command during Operation Desert Storm. Maj. Gen. Vallely (ret.) is former deputy commander of the U.S. Army, Pacific.
Much of the acrimony expressed by Secretary Rumsfeld's military critics appears to stem from his efforts to "transform" the military by moving to a joint expeditionary force that is lighter and more mobile in nature to meet the nation's current and future threats. Many senior officers and bureaucrats did not support his transformation goals -- preferring conventional weapons of the past like the Crusader artillery piece and World War II war -fighting strategies, which prove practically useless against lawless and uncivilized enemies engaged in asymmetric warfare. It unfortunately appears that two of the retired generals (Messrs. Zinni and Newbold) do not understand the true nature of this radical ideology, Islamic extremism, and why we fight in Iraq. We suggest they listen to the tapes of United 93.
ttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/16/AR2006041600852.html Errant Elders Find Amenities in Japan's Jails Demographics, Depression Spur a Surge of Crime by Seniors By Anthony Faiola Washington Post Foreign Service Monday, April 17, 2006; Page A01 Special correspondent Akiko Yamamoto contributed to this report.
Western analysts long suspected that Iran had a second, secret program ? based on the black market offerings of the renegade Pakistani nuclear engineer Abdul Qadeer Khan ? separate from the activity at its main nuclear facility at Natanz. But they had no proof.
Then on Thursday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Tehran was "presently conducting research" on the P-2 centrifuge, boasting that it would quadruple Iran's enrichment powers.
Iran repeatedly denied receiving any P-2 centrifuges from Dr. Khan, which would greatly ease the making of duplicates. Moreover, it said it did no research on the production of the advanced centrifuges between 1995 and 2002 because of management changes in its nuclear program and a lack of skilled personnel.
I.A.E.A. officials say solving the mystery of the P-2 shipments has become one of the most critical issues on which they need answers in the next two weeks, before Mr. ElBaradei issues a report to the United Nations Security Council on April 28. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 共同の記事はNYT記事を正しく伝えていなくて、滅茶苦茶中途半端なおかしなものになっている NYT記事の言っていることは:
The development of China's capital markets will continue to trail its strong economic growth until there is a radical improvement in corporate governance standards, according to a survey of the region's most powerful investors.
Fahrenheit 9/11, now an event, took in more than $228 million in ticket sales worldwide, a record for a documentary, and sold 3 million DVDs, which brought in another $30 million in royalties. After the theaters took their share of the movie's gross (roughly 50 percent) and distributors deducted the marketing expenses (including prints, advertising, dubbing, and custom clearance) and took their own cut, the net receipts returned to Disney were $78 million.
Disney now had to pay Michael Moore's profit participation. Under normal circumstances, documentaries rarely, if ever, make profits (especially if distributors charge the usual 33 percent fee). So, when Miramax made the deal for Fahrenheit 9/11, it allowed Moore a generous profit participation?which turned out to be 27 percent of the film's net receipts. Disney, in honoring this deal, paid Moore a stunning $21 million. Moore never disclosed the amount of his profit participation. When asked about it, the proletarian Moore joked to reporters on a conference call, "I don't read the contracts."
"We will further improve the yuan exchange rate formation mechanism and constantly make the exchange rate more responsive to market supply and demand," said Hu, who is also a deputy governor at the central bank.
○イランの中東戦略はシーア派の盟主として各国のシーア派を統括して、シーア派のネットワー クをBahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Yemen において管理し、その一方では Turkey, Egypt, Algeria and Moroccoのスンニ派革命勢力とも連帯する。
Amir Taheri is a former Executive Editor of Kayhan, Iran's largest daily newspaper, but now lives in Europe
The two powers, joined by Qatar, used their position on a UN sanctions committee to block the imposition of a UN travel ban and asset freeze on four unnamed Sudanese, including one government official, proposed by Britain. 中国とロシアはカタールと組んでスーダン政府高官の旅行禁止や資産凍結を含むスーダンへの 経済制裁提案(英国提案)をブロックした。
The United States, which backed the British initiative, reacted angrily by threatening to call a public vote of the 15-nation Security Council that would force Russia and China into making a formal veto. アメリカとイギリスはダルフール危機に対応すべく英国主導のスーダン政府への経済制裁提案を 勧めてきた。国連安保理で中国とロシアに阻まれており、安保理の公式の投票を求めることになる 化も知れず、その場合、中国とロシアは拒否権を発揮する可能性がある。
“This will be a test for the council to see if the sanctions procedure is going to work at all,” John Bolton, the US Ambassador, said. ボルトン米国代表は「これは安保理が経済制裁を決議し得るかのテストケースになる」という。
ビルマ(ミャンマー)が北朝鮮と正式に国交再開する動きに出ている。アメリカ政府が金融制裁 を行なっている金正日政権の数少ない味方になろうとしている。正式の発表は無いのだが、ビル マ外務省は、先週その話をリークしている。 (Pyongyang hasn't officially confirmed the love-in yet, but a Burmese foreign ministry official let it slip last week that the two countries may soon restore diplomatic ties after a two-decade hiatus.)
Derek Mitchell, senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told CNN・・・ Mitchell said Hu possibly would also raise China's worsening relations with Japan -- like Taiwan, another close U.S. ally in Asia.
But Japanese investment there hit a record $6.6 billion last year, climbing 12% from 2004, according to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. By Chinese government figures, Japan's direct investment in China rose 20% last year. 昨年の日本の中国への投資は前年比で+12%だが、中国側の統計では日本のFDIは+20%である。
Japan's economic recovery in the last year, after more than a decade of languishing performance, also has reduced domestic fears of China's emerging economic power ? the so-called China threat syndrome that seems to be spreading in the United States and other Western countries. 10年以上の長きに渡った日本の経済停滞は昨年から回復に向かい、そのことが中国経済に対する日本 の恐怖心をなくさせている。そういう経済的な中国の台頭に対する恐怖がアメリカや欧州には見られる
"The mind-set in Japan has changed," said Morio Matsumoto, who heads Japan-China economic affairs at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "China is not a threat but a chance for Japanese businesses." 日本の外務省の日中経済関係を担当する松本モリオ氏は「日本のマインドセットが変化した」という。 「中国は日本にとって脅威ではなくビジネスの機会である」
アメリカ軍の装甲車などはイラクでRPGの攻撃に晒され、何らかの対策を必要としていた。 イスラエルで開発されたTAPS(Trophy Active Protection System)はレーダーとペレット のショットガンの爆風によって、あるいは小型ロケットによって、RPGからの防衛を行なう。 (high-tech defense system using radar and a blast of shotgun pellets or small rockets)
このナイジェリアからのウラン鉱石の輸入事件を調査すべくアメリカ政府から派遣されたのが Joseph Wilsonで2002年にナイジェリアに飛んで事情を調査した。彼はサダムのウラン輸入疑惑 を否定しただけでなく、この件でブッシュ政権を非難する本を書いている。彼の妻がCIA職員 で、リビー補佐官らのCIA機密漏洩疑惑につながる。
Michael Tottenのミドル・イースタン・ジャーナル(ブログ) イラク旅行記、そのV、クルド族地域の旅 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー Michael Tottenの読みやすい旅行記で、写真多数。イラク北部のクルド族の街中の様子がわか っておもしろい。まるで中世のような下町のなかに、現代風のものが幾つか現れ、イラクの 現状が急激な変化のさなかにあることを象徴しているような。写真的にはダウンタウンの様子 が大変興味深いもの。(カルカッタあたりを思わせる雰囲気)。クルド族地域での食事という のは、やはりケバブと野菜、といったものになるらすい。
In example two, the top 100 generals in the Army military chain of command secretly agree amongst themselves to retire and speak out -- each one day after the other. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/14/AR2006041401451.html Behind the Military Revolt By Richard Holbrooke Sunday, April 16, 2006; Page B07 WaPo:軍人たちの反乱の背景
Second, it is also clear that the target is not just Rumsfeld. ・・・・ This has put President Bush and his administration in a hellish position at a time when security in Iraq and Afghanistan seems to be deteriorating. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 現在アメリカのメディアで話題になっている軍人の中から出てきているラムズフェルド批判が 単に不平や不満をもち、意見を異にする軍人の声が集まったといった単純なものではなくて、 政治的な影響力を行使しようとすつ(ブッシュ政権やネオコン強硬派を追い落とそうという) 一部軍人グループの政治行動なのだという。穏やかならぬ話で、この事件の解明や分析が今後 の大きなテーマになりそうな気配。
If you are among those who now basically think we might as well declare defeat even before we go home, then by all means, shout "Fire Rummy" at the top of your lungs. そういう背景と事情から起こっている事件であるから、貴方がイラク戦争は失敗だと考えてそれを 宣言したいというのであれば「ラム爺辞任!」を叫べばよい
But if you are among those who believe the war in Iraq must be won and that we can win it, it is madness to join the "Fire Rummy" crew. Even if you think Rumsfeld doesn't deserve to keep the job, he must. There's no other way. しかし、あなたがイラク戦争は勝利できるし、勝利しなければいけないと考えるならば、ラムズフ ェルド辞任を求めるのは基地外じみている。貴方がラムズフェルド国防長官を気に入らないとして も、今は彼を支持すべきである。ほかに方法は無いのだから。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ここ数日、NYTやCNNがラムズフェルド辞任コールの極度にバイアスしたプロパガンダ報道を 繰り返していて、大変ウザイ。メディアが政治的意見をもつ事に反対ではないけれど、どんな手段 を使っても良いということではないと思ふ。報道には報道の基本と規範があり、報道とプロパガン ダは明確に区別されるべきものだから。今週のCNNは狂っているようにみえる。
ヘリテージ財団:中国に対抗してヘッジすべき ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー アメリカの対中国強硬派(中国脅威論)の代表者の一人、John J. Tkacik, Jr.の書いている もので、如何に中国に対抗すべきかを論じる。資料豊富で、その部分だけでも結構使い物にな りそうな「本格的な中国脅威論」。筆者は、アメリカはどうすべきかについて:
What the Administration and Congress Should Do?
・Advance reform in China. ・Strengthen ties with Japan and India. ・Protect Asia’s democracies. ・Deepen the strategic dialogue with Europe. ・Downgrade the strategic dialogue with China. ・Support Taiwan’s democracy. ・Confront Beijing’s subtle but substantial sup-port for the North Korean and Iranian nuclear weapons programs. ・Maintain military pre-eminence in the Pacific.
That American leaders now openly talk of “hedg-ing” China should give their Chinese counterparts pause, but unless the talk of hedging is accompa-nied by action, China will dismiss it as just more bluff and bluster. If China successfully calls Ameri-can bluff and bluster, its power and influence in Asia will only strengthen, and America’s will dimin-ish. The predictable result will be a 21st century Asia under China’s sway and Asian democracy sub-ject to China’s gentle protection. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー John J. Tkacik, Jr.の議論でほかと異なるのは、北朝鮮の核開発は中国が意図的に(アメリカ を困らせ台湾問題以外の問題を作り出すために)やりたい放題にさせていると論じていること。 彼は昨年秋ごろから、中国は影響力が不足して北朝鮮の核開発を抑えられないのではなくて抑え る気がなく、むしろ意図的にやらせているのだろうという立場をとっている。
African-American Household Incomes Remain Low Under Bush American Families Feeling Economic Insecurity Under Bush's Failed Policies Bush Economy Benefits His Friends But Leaves the Rest Behind Bush on the Economy: Long on Rhetoric, Short on Results Bush Economy Scares Consumers
One of the four could speak a little Russian. They stuck together just for survival: “We always travelled together. We went down towards the Chinese border where there are uranium mines. We worked for a year on a building site at a mine. In 1999 we came to Vladivostok to try and make it to South Korea. I’ve been hiding in and around Vladivostok for six years now. I’m always afraid of getting caught by the police.”
If they are successful in forcing Mr. Rumsfeld's resignation, they will set an ugly precedent. Will future defense secretaries have to worry about potential rebellions by their brass, and will they start to choose commanders according to calculations of political loyalty?
In our view Mr. Rumsfeld's failures should have led to his departure long ago. But he should not be driven out by a revolt of generals, retired or not.
A few things I'll try to explain in this post: 何故そういうことが科学的に言えるのかを説明すると
1) One of the most important recent neuroscience discoveries--"mirror neurons", and the role they play in a decision like Robert's 「ミラー・ニューロン」というのが猿の脳細胞で発見され研究されていて、人間にも同じもの があると推測されている
2) The heavily-researched social science phenomenon known as "emotional contagion" これは社会科学でいう「感情の伝染」に関連する
3) Ignorance and misperceptions around the idea of "happy people" 成功したり上手くいっている人の行動を見習うべき
Mirror Neurons ミラー・ニューロンと言うのは
There is now strong evidence to suggest that humans have the same type of "mirror neurons" found in monkeys. It's what these neurons do that's amazing--they activate in the same way when you're watching someone else do something as they do when you're doing it yourself! This mirroring process/capability is thought to be behind our ability to empathize, but you can imagine the role these neurons have played in keeping us alive as a species. We learn from watching others. We learn from imitating (mirroring) others. The potential problem, though, is that these neurons go happily about their business of imitating others without our conscious intention.
"If you want to accomplish something that demands determination and endurance, try to surround yourself with people possessing these qualities. And try to limit the time you spend with people given to pessimism and expressions of futility. Unfortunately, negative emotions exert a more powerful effect in social situations than positive ones, thanks to the phenomena of emotional contagion." つまり、悲観的な人の行動とかを余り多く見ていれば、(無意識的に)それをまねるようになっ てしまうわけね。これは社会科学で言うところの感情的伝染というものと同じ。
In these circumstances, the Committee judged that some further policy firming may be needed to keep the risks to the attainment of both sustainable economic growth and price stability roughly in balance but reiterated that it would respond to changes in economic prospects as needed to foster its objectives. ・・・・ ・・・・ The staff forecast prepared for this meeting showed real GDP expanding briskly in the current quarter. Economic growth was expected to moderate later this year. ・・・・ ・・・・ In their discussion of the economic situation and outlook, meeting participants saw the economy as having rebounded strongly from the slowdown in the fourth quarter of last year, with aggregate spending and employment expanding briskly in the current quarter. ・・・・ ・・・・ In their discussion of prices, participants indicated that data over the intermeeting period, including measures of inflation expectations, suggested that underlying inflation was not in the process of moving higher.
The American people are awakening to the challenge of China with more questions than answers about the implications on their interests. China indeed presents a unique challenge that will not conform easily to Cold War notions of ideological conflict or global competition. アメリカ国民は中国をアメリカの国益にとってプラスと見るよりも問題と見るような、中国の 挑戦という問題に気がつき始めている。中国というのは実際に、グローバルな競合とか冷戦の イデオロギー対立とは異なった、別の種類のユニークな挑戦を示している。
Nonetheless, the uncertainty of China's future is an inescapable component of the U.S.-China relationship, since no one -- not even the Chinese -- can predict for certain the trajectory of China over time. Even a summit with no particular substantive result will be important for the longer-term objective of promoting communication at all levels, public and private. This will be a critical aspect for managing what will be the world's most important -- and complex -- bilateral relationship in the 21st century. 中国の将来に対する不確定性は米中関係を考える場合の不可避的要素である。時間を経て中国が どうした軌跡をたどるのかを予測することが中国自身にとっても難しく、誰も確かな見通しを持 てない。米中が首脳のレベルでのコミニュケーションを保つ意味で、サミットは何の結果をもた らさなくとも、それには長期的に見た場合には意味があるといえる。21世紀の世界で最も重要な 二国間関係にとって、これは重要なことなのだ。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー シンクタンク、CSISのシニア・フェローである中国問題の専門家Derek Mitchellの書いている ものだけれど、予想以上に中国に対して警戒的なトーンになっている。CSISのフェローが中国 の先行きが不透明だというわけなので、アマチュアのヲチャーからみてそれが不透明なのは当然と いうべき乎。
Reports from Beijing speak of heated secret discussions at which some have insisted on immediate change to a system of law and elections, only to be called traitors by hard-line communists. Most likely Mr. Hu will attempt to make some reforms to the system, but given his penchant for compromise, they will almost certainly fall short of what is needed. Once a few knots are untied, however, everything can unravel -- as Tocqueville warned. The irony is that if and when things do unravel in the wake of poorly conceived reform, then Mr. Hu himself, and perhaps the communist regime, may be the ultimate victims of his directionless political opportunism.
A U.S. Embassy spokesman in Seoul says Washington accepts the existing situation and has not taken a position on the future status of the islands.
The United States says South Korea and Japan should handle their dispute peacefully one-on-one, rather than seeking arbitration in an international court. ttp://www.voanews.com/english/2006-04-17-voa14.cfm S. Korea Warns of 'Stern Measures' to Prevent Japanese Survey of Disputed Islands By Kurt Achin Seoul 17 April 2006
韓国が実効支配している現状を「accept」するが、島の帰属について「not taken a position」 というもので、介入しないといっている事になると思われ。
South Korea insists the Dokdo islets, located some 89 kilometers southeast to South Korean Uleung Island and 160 kilometers northwest to Japanese Oki Island, have been listed as its territory in history literature since the fifth century. While Japan claims the islets has been its territory since 17 century, as written in literature. ttp://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/17/content_4437184.htm ROK to force Japan withdraw survey plan on disputed waters www.chinaview.cn 2006-04-17 20:20:25
It looks like the Bush Administration's determination to let private citizens decide U.S. foreign policy on an ad hoc basis continues this week with China. ・・・・ This is not lost on the Chinese. That's why Jintao is going to sit down with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. If nothing else, Gates has a better sense of what's going on in China than Bush. Why else would human rights activists be asking Gates to plead their case?
Gates, of course, has spent plenty of time in China. The Chinese treat him the way the Indians treat Bill Clinton. Gates' photos - photos of him with restaurant owners in Beijing and Shanghai, photos of him in rickshaw - are prominently displayed at local tourist joints. You know, like he's the president of he United States or something. ・・・・ This isn't Gates' fault. Nor is it the fault of any other software company doing business in China; they are businessmen. Their job is to make money.
But it's not a good idea for the U.S. government to be abandoning a key part of its duties: Telling the companies based here how to conduct themselves in negotiations with foreign governments and other "entities." That's what government is supposed to do; it's their job.
That this administration doesn't seem to understand that it has a role to play - beyond reassuring itself that all's well 'cause the Chinese are too busy straightening up their internal affairs - is a wrong step in a bad direction. ttp://www.spot-on.com/archives/abandon_ship.html
Polls of party members reveal their belief that the most pressing problem they face is the need for more political reform, and the minutes of a meeting held at a government -affiliated think tank and leaked on the Internet last month show a prominent academic calling for a multiparty system.
日本は石油の輸入国として、中東国家と良好な関係を維持するために、対パレスチナの政府開発 援助の実施は慎重な態度をとっている。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ttp://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20060419&hn=32166 Japan Halts Aid to HAMAS Government By Anadolu News Agency (aa), Tokyo Published: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
ttp://powerlineblog.com/archives/013806.php April 19, 2006 "The Bin Ladenpoof Song," to be sung to the tune of "The Whiffenpoof Song." おさま・びん・らーでんタンの歌("The Whiffenpoof Song." の替え歌)
To the Talib's down at Morey's To Osama’s cave of skulls To the dear old fatwa scribes we love so well Bring the dirty bombs assembled All the nerve gas you can buy How the magic of their ticking casts a spell We’re poor Talibans who have lost our way Baa Baa Baah!
Our little black Sheikh has come to play Boo Laa Laah! He’s totally psyched to blow Yale away In’ Shaa Laah! We're Musselman bombers off on a spree We’ll wage jihad til eternity Or Yale Law admits Moussaoui Lord have mercy on such as ye Boo Laa Laa
When in Osama and Eli’s name We atomize the Harvard Game Dick Levin will say Larry Summers’s to blame In’ Shaa 'Laah!
Even if our pal Hashemi Isn’t quite ready for Bones or Key Our rewards will be heavenly Six dozen veiled Smithies are waiting, you see Ooo laa laaah! We’ll all pile in to a Ryder Van And vaporize Vassar en route to Iran Rah! Rah! Rah!
And if our bomb like the crack of doom Blows us clear to the Jersey dunes Just tell Princeton we’re coming soon Siss Boom Bah! Until the bicker for Ivy looms We’ll stash our Djinn in Rummy’s old rooms But if Justice Alito alights to re-une Then Siss Bah Boom!
In another shakeup, longtime Bush adviser Karl Rove is scaling back his responsibilities, according to The Washington Post. Rove was named a deputy chief of staff for policy after Bush's second election, a job that came on top of his responsibilities as senior adviser and chief policy aide to Bush. He will give up oversight of policy development to spend more time focusing on politics in advance of the upcoming mid-term elections. He is expected to be replaced by Joel Kaplan, the current White House budget director.
Rove will remain deputy chief of staff to President Bush, but he will drop his portfolio as policy coordinator -- a job he assumed a year ago -- and once again concentrate his focus on broader strategy and politics as the 2006 mid-term elections approach, the White House announced.
"Karl will continue to serve as the deputy chief of staff and senior adviser," said deputy White House press secretary Kenneth A. Lisaius. "What's going to happen is Joel will come in to manage the daily policy process and that will leave Karl more time to focus on truly strategic planning at a critical time for the presidency."
アメリカの最近のプレハブ住宅、従来のものとは違って Advice Goddess Blog Not Just Fab, Pre-Fab アメリカの新しい、クールなプレハブ住宅について
I'm increasingly interested in pre-fab housing. Some of it's pretty ugly, but there are cooler and cooler models out there; many or most of them eco-friendly -- like the house built out of demolished Massachusetts freeways, in this article by Robert Campbell in The Boston Globe: プレハブ住宅と言うのは、醜いものもあるけれど、最近幾つかの注目すべきクールなものが現れ て、とてもよくなってきている。多くのものがエコ志向で、ボストングローブの記事が紹介して いるものなどがそれである。
When the United States teaches Third-World militaries how to be professional, one of the key instructions is that the officer corp should be taught to be loyal to their government and its constitution -- never personally loyal to the current leader. (Hitler famously required an oath of personal loyalty to him from the Wehrmacht officer corp.)
And it is on exactly that point that the Post correctly fears a dangerous precedent is in the process of being set. They rightly fear that based on what is currently happening to Secretary Rumsfeld, "will future defense secretaries have to worry about potential rebellions by their brass, and will they start choosing commanders according to calculations of political loyalty?"
これはワシントンポストの社説(The Generals' Revolt、18日のWaPoの社説)が指摘している ことと基本的に同じである。現在おこっているラムズフェルド国防長官への辞任要求を認めるなら 「将来的に国防長官が制服組の反乱を恐れなくてはならない事になる。そうなれば制服組が政治的 忠誠を計算の上で国防長官を選ぶことにつながりかねない」 ttp://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/04/court_of_inquiry.html April 19, 2006 Court of Inquiry By Tony Blankley
In an interview with TIME's Rebecca Myers, Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, puts in perspective the political firestorm surrounding Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
Why is civilian control of the military so important?
When you look back at the firing of General [Douglas] MacArthur, President Truman writes in his memoir that civilian control of the military "is one of the strongest foundations of our system of free government. Many of our people are descended from men and women who fled their native countries to escape the oppression of militarism." The importance of it really comes from the founding of our nation, [similar to] the separation of church and state.
J O I N T C E N T E R AEI-BROOKINGS JOINT CENTER FOR REGULATORY STUDIES The Law and Economics of Software Security Robert W. Hahn and Anne Layne-Farrar* Working Paper 06-08 April 2006
Executive Summary Security in software networks relies on technology, law, and economics. As the cost of software security breaches becomes more apparent, there has been greater interest in developing and implementing solutions for different parts of the problem. In this paper, we provide the first comprehensive assessment of the software security issue that uses a law and economics framework. We begin by offering a definition of software security that illustrates the complexity of the problem. We then review and critique the literature assessing the costs of software security. Finally, we evaluate a number of legal, economic and technical approaches for addressing security problems.
We conclude that market failures in the provision of software system security are apparent, but not all of them appear significant for all parties, and some appear to be diminishing in significance due to emerging market solutions. The available data suggest that parties with truly valuable networks and files have strong incentives to take precautions in safeguarding their systems. An asymmetric information problem for individual consumers emerges as the more troublesome market failure. Without better data on the real costs at stake and the preventive efforts that end users are taking, however, the picture is fuzzy at best.
論文の最後のほうで、問題に対する法的規制について論じていて、ここでいう法的規制というのは 例えば: Cyber Security Enhancement Act (CSEA)of 2002 (H.R. 3482, 107th Cong.) Cyber Security Research and Development Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-305) Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002 (Pub.L. 107-347) のようなもの。しかし、この論文は、その効果のほどについて懐疑的であるような。
People who know I'm a retired rear admiral have asked, "Should Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resign?" They seem surprised that I don't have a snappy comeback. It's a complex question requiring a careful answer. ・・・・ ・・・・ Thanks to actor Geena Davis, most Americans now know that the president is commander in chief; fewer know the secretary of defense is second-in-command. The secretary issues orders on behalf of the president. Those orders must be obeyed, period.
Moscow, Russia (AHN) - Russia will implement a contract to supply Tor-M1 air defense systems to Iran, Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and First Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Baluyevsky said on Wednesday. ロシア空軍のYuri Baluyevskyは、水曜日にイランにTor-M1対空ミサイルを売却する予定と語った
The contract, worth 1.4 billion U.S. dollars, is the biggest arms deal Iran and Russia has ever concluded. この計画の総額は$1.4Bとなり、イラン・ロシア間の武器売却の最大のものとなる