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<dc:rights>Copyright 2007, Gourt.com</dc:rights>
<dc:date>2010-01-06T12:37+38:00
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/G2_jPhF0qgY/chi-0106edit1jan06,0,6225871.story">
<title>

        Corruption, clout and you</title>
<link>http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/G2_jPhF0qgY/chi-0106edit1jan06,0,6225871.story</link>
<description><![CDATA[Editorial:  There is so much mischief that, as primary election looms, political leaders are just desperate for you to forget -- and thus forgive.


   
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</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/8H0C3UYdZaM/chi-schmich-06-jan06,0,3699961.column">
<title>

        Schmich: An invasion of the body scanners</title>
<link>http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/8H0C3UYdZaM/chi-schmich-06-jan06,0,3699961.column</link>
<description><![CDATA[At some point as a kid, you learn that no one is supposed to see your underwear unless you have issued an invitation.


   
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</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/7p4T5KpOBqM/chi-kass-06-jan06,0,1856798.column">
<title>

        Kass: Rahm for mayor? Really?</title>
<link>http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/7p4T5KpOBqM/chi-kass-06-jan06,0,1856798.column</link>
<description><![CDATA[On my first day back at work after vacation, the political news from Washington hit me like a cold dead fish in the face:


   
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/YKA9G4O8KIg/chi-oped0106pagejan06,0,3767850.column">
<title>

        Page: Yemen&#x27;s problems also our problems</title>
<link>http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/YKA9G4O8KIg/chi-oped0106pagejan06,0,3767850.column</link>
<description><![CDATA[Having a  Yemeni visa stamped in my passport has brought wary questions from border officials over the last few years. Nowadays I'll be lucky if I don't get strip-searched. What a difference a botched terrorist attack makes.


   
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/-OPiKcg3fk4/chi-oped0106keillorjan06,0,7479390.column">
<title>

        Keillor: Floating village: The good life</title>
<link>http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/-OPiKcg3fk4/chi-oped0106keillorjan06,0,7479390.column</link>
<description><![CDATA[The cruise ships sail from Tampa and Fort Lauderdale and Miami, great ocean-going pueblos, 10 decks high, passengers lounging on their verandas, gazing at the sea, workhorse Americans trying to get out of cell-phone range for a week and sweeten up to their families. It is a beautiful thing to behold.


   
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/OO1-qhCt_sE/chi-oped0106pittsjan06,0,386500.column">
<title>

        Pitts: Security questions, but not these</title>
<link>http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/OO1-qhCt_sE/chi-oped0106pittsjan06,0,386500.column</link>
<description><![CDATA[On Christmas Day, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a student from Nigeria, allegedly tried to blow up a jetliner bound for Detroit. He failed due to some defect in his explosives and the quick reflexes of passengers who subdued him. As you might expect, this close call has some of us asking hard, but necessary questions:


   
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<item rdf:about="http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/OJMXXzIdN0I/chi-avatar-politics-link,0,3385311.storylink">
<title>

        Page: &#x27;Avatar&#x27;&#x27;s polarized politics</title>
<link>http://feeds.chicagotribune.com/~r/chicagotribune/opinion/~3/OJMXXzIdN0I/chi-avatar-politics-link,0,3385311.storylink</link>
<description><![CDATA[

   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/skRaPexKJi8/story01.htm">
<title>Taste and see</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/skRaPexKJi8/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Burgernomics shows the Chinese yuan is still undervalued THE Big Mac index is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity (PPP)&#8212;exchange rates should equalise the price of a basket of goods in different countries. The exchange rate that leaves a Big Mac costing the same in dollars everywhere is our fair-value benchmark. So our light-hearted index shows which countries the foreign-exchange market has blessed with a cheap currency, and which has it burdened with a dear one. The most overvalued currency against the dollar is the Norwegian kroner, which is 96% above its PPP rate. In Oslo you can expect to pay around $7 for a Big Mac. At the other end of the scale is the Chinese yuan, which is undervalued by 49%. The euro comes in at 35% over its PPP rate, a little higher than six months ago. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/n0MqEBEIvfM/story01.htm">
<title>Spooked</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/n0MqEBEIvfM/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[The troubles of American intelligenceON TUESDAY January 4th, Barack Obama met officials related to counterterrorism to discuss how Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, a Nigerian, was allowed to board a Detroit-bound plane and try to blow it up, despite the fact that America&#8217;s spies had useful information on him. His father had told the American embassy in Abuja, Nigeria&#8217;s capital, that his son was being radicalised. The CIA had heard about plans to develop a Nigerian suicide bomber. And it was known that Mr Abdul Mutallab had travelled to Yemen for training. But as Mr Obama said after the meeting, there was &#8220;a failure to integrate and understand the intelligence that we already had&#8221;.Some have blamed the office of the Director of National Intelligence. The post, created in 2004, was meant to get spies to stop thinking in terms of &#8220;need to know&#8221; and instead to think that they &#8220;need to share&#8221;. A National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC) was also created. But critics of that approach think that centralisation and &#8220;all-source&#8221; analysis that is meant to produce comprehensive, authoritative reports, are inadequate. Rather, spies and decision-makers (such as consular officials who decide whether to grant visas) need more flexibility and fluidity, the ability to share information more quickly and freely without going through central channels. ...
   
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</item>

<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/F_X2xcsc4WQ/story01.htm">
<title>Don&#x26;#8217;t be greedy</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/F_X2xcsc4WQ/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Successful auctions follow certain rules, even in an overheated marketTHERE were two lessons to be learned from the Asian art sales in Paris in mid-December. The first was about timing, the second about estimates.Unlike the market for Chinese ceramics and decorative works of art, which is crowded with Chinese buyers from Hong Kong and the mainland energetically seeking out treasures to bring home, the markets for Japanese and Korean works of art are dominated by Western collectors. This is a small and highly specialised group who tend to buy through dealers rather than at auction. Anyone trying to lure such buyers into the saleroom should not repeat Christie&#8217;s mistake and schedule a sale on December 21st, or even, as Sotheby&#8217;s did, on December 18th. Western collectors have other things on their minds in the week before Christmas. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/S7I1Zh_7dgU/story01.htm">
<title>Phoney war</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/S7I1Zh_7dgU/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Google unveils a rival to the iPhone FOR much of past year, Google told anyone who would listen that it really didn&#8217;t intend to launch its own mobile phone, in spite of persistent rumours to the contrary. But on Tuesday January 5th it proved the rumour-mongers right by unveiling Nexus One, a Google-branded smart phone that represents the company&#8217;s first direct foray into the handset market. The new device, which runs on the web giant&#8217;s Android operating system, puts Google on a collision course with Apple, Nokia and other big purveyors of smart phones.All of these firms have set their sights on capturing a big chunk of the fast-growing market for mobile-internet services, which is being driven by a proliferation of web-enabled devices such as smart phones and e-readers. Many of those services are likely to attract a lot of web-based advertising, a business at which Google excels. Its plan to launch a range of phones beginning with Nexus One is designed to protect its lead in the online-advertising arena as traffic switches from personal computers to smart phones and other portable devices. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/1lcqksDAtSE/story01.htm">
<title>Bad blood</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/1lcqksDAtSE/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[A change of finance minister shows who wields power in Japan's ruling partyWHEN Japan&#8217;s 77-year-old finance minister submitted his resignation on Tuesday January 5th, the reason given was poor health. The week before he had been admitted to hospital complaining of exhaustion and high blood pressure after drafting the 2010 budget.But illness was not Hirohisa Fujii&#8217;s main problem. Instead it appears to have been a case of bad blood at the top of Mr Hatoyama&#8217;s ruling clique. Mr Fujii, people who have spoken to him say, grew increasingly frustrated with the power Ichiro Ozawa, secretary-general of the ruling party, had over Mr Hatoyama, and a festering feud between the two men eventually boiled over in the budget-drafting process. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/llRgxaSjcuo/story01.htm">
<title>After the crash</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/llRgxaSjcuo/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[House prices are rising again in many countriesWHEN The Economist last took stock of house prices across the globe, prices were falling in all but two countries. Three months later, prices are now rising in a total of six countries plus Hong Kong, which is experiencing double-digit growth. A recovery may not be inevitable for all countries however. The S&#38;P/Case-Shiller index of house prices in America&#8217;s ten leading cities was unchanged in October, after five monthly increases. That left prices 6.9% lower than they were a year ago. Our interactive house-price tool allows you to chart the ups and downs of house prices for 20 of the most important economies over several years (some of the indices go back to 1975). In addition, the chart lets you compare house prices in real terms and against average incomes, providing ample fodder for that next dinner-table debate.  ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/UJJTFvosPLA/story01.htm">
<title>Deeper in the mire</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/UJJTFvosPLA/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[A worsening political crisis in AfghanistanTHIS was supposed to be the month when Afghanistan would put an end to nearly eight months of political crisis and get on with beating back the Taliban insurgency. Western diplomats had talked optimistically of Hamid Karzai moving past his fraudulent re-election as president, with the appointment of a government of talented technocrats. And plans for another round of elections (this time for the parliament) would be quietly dropped, letting Stanley McChrystal, the American commander of NATO forces, concentrate on using the extra troops granted to him by Barack Obama to &#8220;secure the population&#8221; rather than just polling stations.But the local political class is proving reluctant to follow the West&#8217;s script. Two specific problems threaten to cause months of more political uncertainty and perhaps another constitutional crisis. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/zHWWoFOihq0/story01.htm">
<title>The year of the paywall</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/zHWWoFOihq0/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Newspapers will try to persuade online readers to pay in 2010 ON JANUARY 12TH the Standard-Times, a small Massachusetts newspaper owned by News Corporation, will begin charging for access to its website, SouthCoastToday. People who do not subscribe to the paper will have to stump up $3.37 a week to continue reading about high-school basketball games and local disputes over windmills. Even print subscribers will have to pay 39 cents extra a week to see every part of the website. The publication is small, but the move is significant. It is an early brick in a wall that can be expected to rise quickly this year. In the coming months Rupert Murdoch, News Corp&#8217;s boss, is expected to make good on his promise to introduce paywalls on the websites of the bigger publications in his stable, such as the Times of London and the Sun. Last month Axel Springer, a large German publisher, began charging for some of its newspapers. Variety, a trade publication for Hollywood, has begun demanding money. The New York Times is pondering a similar move. Even the Guardian, a British newspaper that has long been an evangelist for free news online, has launched a paid-for iPhone application (though accessing stories is free once the app has been downloaded). The Economist recently introduced a paywall for the print-edition contents list on its website. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/fpoMinh9Dp0/story01.htm">
<title>Looking in the shadows</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/fpoMinh9Dp0/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[The search for a second Earth gets seriousIN THE 19th century astronomers spent a lot of time seeking shadows crossing the sun. They were searching for Vulcan, a putative planet inside the orbit of Mercury, by looking for its transits. These are the moments when, viewed from Earth, the hypothetical planet would cross the solar disc. Sadly, there was no Vulcan to be found, but the method itself is sound, and it is the modus operandi of Kepler, an American spacecraft that has been trailing the Earth, in the same orbit, since March 2009.Kepler is a telescope that looks simultaneously and continuously at more than 150,000 stars, recording the amount of light coming from them. It is seeking the tiny, periodic diminutions of illumination caused by planetary transits and, on January 4th, the team running it announced that five such patterns had shown up in the first six weeks of the probe&#8217;s operation. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/2ePRFgkiZ34/story01.htm">
<title>Look on my works, ye Mighty</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/2ePRFgkiZ34/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[The world&#8217;s tallest building opens in DubaiAT 828 metres (2,717 feet), the Burj Khalifa, which opened on Monday January 4th, dwarfs Taipei 101, which was previously the tallest tower anywhere, by 320 metres. The tower has more than 160 floors and cost some $1.5 billion. It is in danger, however, of being seen as the height of folly. Construction began in 2004, when the economy of the United Arab Emirates was growing at 9.7%. It is forecast to grow by just 2.4% this year and probably shrank by 0.2% in 2009. This is not the first tower to be planned in the good times and then opened in a slump. Countries home to many of the world's highest buildings (when they opened) saw their economies slump in the years between the start of construction and the official opening. Our chart compares economic growth of the relevant country when a tower was opened, with the respective annual growth rate enjoyed half a decade earlier. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/Oyo3J3XfhKs/story01.htm">
<title>A broken resolution</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/Oyo3J3XfhKs/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[The government should let the courts decide the fate of Japan&#8217;s flagship airlineTHE run-up to New Year is a time to tidy up loose ends in Japan so that in January everything starts afresh. For a fleeting moment, it looked as if the government was doing just that when, after months of indecisiveness, it hinted on December 30th that Japan Airlines might be headed for bankruptcy.But after the shares slumped by 24% to an all-time low on the same day, ministers lost their nerve over sanctioning what could be one of Japan&#8217;s biggest corporate failures. Despite strong differences of opinion within the government a new support package was cobbled together over the holiday weekend, doubling the state-run Development Bank of Japan&#8217;s credit line to JAL, as the airline is called, to 200 billion yen ($2.2 billion). ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/JItiTKsoPfc/story01.htm">
<title>This week&#x27;s top stories [01 January 2010]</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/JItiTKsoPfc/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Our top articles ranked by reader popularity.Terror in the skyThis week's top stories [25 December 2009]Reform reversal?Global tinderboxObama's Christmas presentHead to headHitting the slopesRead-e for the massesIt's a PC worldStill blazing
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/1dKVL-5nMEg/story01.htm">
<title>The cost of good health</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/1dKVL-5nMEg/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Where health-care spending is heaviestHEALTH-CARE spending will consume 15.5% of the GDP in North America this year, the largest share of six regions worldwide. Record levels of public debt in America will limit the scope of health-care reforms set for 2010. Meanwhile, global life expectancy will reach 72.5 years, bringing the number of people aged 65 and over to 523m, or 7.6% of the population. This will reduce the amount of tax available to fund health-care systems everywhere, prompting governments and insurers to focus on public health, preventive care and other money-saving measures.  ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/VULvWRxC-c0/story01.htm">
<title>Tellyphone</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/VULvWRxC-c0/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[America is finally poised to get mobile televisionYOUR correspondent is always miffed when he sees others taking for granted things he has waited years for. Case in point: the way the Japanese think it is perfectly normal to watch live national and local television free on their mobile phones. In fact, they can do so on practically anything they care to carry around with them&#8212;from portable game consoles and electronic dictionaries to satnavs for their cars. And it is not just in Japan that you can watch live television on the hoof. It is also taken for granted in South Korea, China, Brazil and parts of Europe.Sure, you can do it&#8212;sort of&#8212;on mobile phones in America. But it certainly is not free; nor is it widespread or capable of providing local news. Verizon, America&#8217;s largest mobile operator, offers ten channels of news, sports, prime-time shows and cartoons for an additional $15 a month. AT&#38;T, the number two mobile-phone company, offers a larger package for somewhat less. Both carriers use a technology from Qualcomm called MediaFLO that can deliver more than 20 channels of television to mobile phones. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/iAFZkK5s5CM/story01.htm">
<title>Risky business</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/iAFZkK5s5CM/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Expiring patents are a bitter pill for drug companiesA RECORD number of drug patents will expire over the next few years, which should heighten competition from generic drugs and force down prices. In 2009, $26 billion of sales were at risk from patent expiries. This will nearly double in 2011 according to EvaluatePharma, a consultancy. The price of any given drug falls by more than 85% within a year of a patent expiring in markets like America. About 13% of global drug sales are at risk from generic competition over the next two years. Big Pharma has yet to come up with more blockbusters that will compensate for lost revenue and may look to generic drug companies to repair up a damaged business model.  ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/rhRbSqG7kHM/story01.htm">
<title>Bubble trouble?</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/rhRbSqG7kHM/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[China is set to overtake Japan in the world economic rankingsNEXT year China will overtake Japan to become the world&#8217;s second-largest economy. Its rapid ascent has led some to question whether China will follow in Japan&#8217;s footsteps, with the bursting of a massive bubble followed by years of decline. But China is still far poorer than Japan was at its peak, and thus has more room to improve productivity. A transition of surplus labour from agriculture to industry and services would increase efficiency and bring its economy more in line with the developed world. And China&#8217;s stimulus package has produced much needed infrastructure that will reinforce future growth. But in the long run, a shift away from investment and exports towards domestic consumption would make China&#8217;s output more sustainable, and help it to avoid experiencing a bubble like Japan's. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/nLmeas9V44c/story01.htm">
<title>Don&#x27;t mess with us</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/nLmeas9V44c/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[No forgiveness; no quarter. Happy Christmas from ChinaA SEASON of good cheer in much of the world, late December saw a typically harsh apportionment of justice by China&#8217;s legal system, and a typically rigid display of governmental indifference to foreign opinion. On Christmas Day a Beijing court sentenced Liu Xiaobo, a veteran human-rights activist, to 11 years in prison for &#8220;inciting subversion of state power&#8221;. China swatted away all criticism about this as groundless meddling in its internal affairs. In a separate case that was not entirely an internal affair, China&#8217;s reaction was not much different. On December 21st Akmal Shaikh, a 53-year-old Briton charged with smuggling drugs, had his death sentence upheld by China&#8217;s Supreme People&#8217;s Court. Rejecting pleas for clemency from Mr Shaikh&#8217;s family, international human-rights groups, and the British government, Chinese authorities executed him by lethal injection on December 29th in the north-western region of Xinjiang, where he was first arrested in late 2007 after carrying roughly 4kg of heroin into the country. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/Gcdba8G5HF0/story01.htm">
<title>Steamy scenes</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/Gcdba8G5HF0/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Bracing northern habits reach south-west LondonYOUR columnist has recently moved house. Although his new garden is small, it does have enough room for a small hut, painted black and concealed by a trellis. It is a rarity in this part of the world. Most visitors assume it is a garden shed. Others know better. For Latvians, it is a &#8220;pirts&#8221;; for Lithuanians, a &#8220;pirtis&#8221;. Russian guests are thrilled by the prospect of a &#8220;banya&#8221;. Finns and Estonians are already stripping their clothes off as soon as they hear the word&#8212;the same in both languages&#8212;&#8220;sauna&#8221;. Such visitors are tactful about its shortcomings. The real thing should be home-built and fuelled by hand-chopped logs gathered from a nearby forest. It also should be near a river or lake for the cooling-off sessions. None of that is possible in Chelsea. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/Xfn8vSLj3J8/story01.htm">
<title>Growing desperation</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/Xfn8vSLj3J8/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Increasingly fierce repression in Iran suggests that the regime has begun to fear for its futureWHAT more can Iran&#8217;s ruthless rulers do to squash their opponents? Since nationwide protests broke out last June over the disputed results of presidential elections, the official winner, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has pulled few punches. His security apparatus has beaten and arrested thousands, tried scores of dissidents in kangaroo courts, hounded others into exile, throttled the press and jammed the airwaves. But the massive and violent demonstrations that engulfed the capital, Tehran, and other cities on December 26th and 27th suggested that repression only deepens and broadens the opposition.Footage of the protests, shot by phones and spread via the internet, revealed scenes of mayhem unprecedented since the 1979 revolution that toppled the shah. Mobs of youths, including many women, attacked and in some cases overcame squads of riot police. The rioters, mostly unmasked in contrast to previous protests, apparently chanted as many slogans against Iran&#8217;s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as against Mr Ahmadinejad. They set police vehicles on fire and torched at least one police station. Plainclothes government thugs fought back, bludgeoning isolated protesters and apparently shooting several at close range. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/Mdp1HzM59ws/story01.htm">
<title>It&#x27;s a PC world</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/Mdp1HzM59ws/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Global computer ownership will continue to rise in 2010NORTH AMERICA will have the most personal computers (PCs) per person in 2010, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit&#8217;s forecasts. With nearly one per person, PC ownership in America and Canada far exceeds that in the rest of the world. Globally, PC penetration will continue to rise closer to one computer for every three people. Western Europeans have nearly 70 PCs per 100 people. But less than a fifth of people in Asia or Australasia are forecast to own a PC in 2010. The gap might narrow as China increases its information technology (IT) spending next year by 13.3% to $80.2 billion. Global IT spending fell in 2009, but is forecast to be back on track in 2010. Aided by demand for sleeker netbooks and laptops, PC sales will increase by 8%.  ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/fP5_PiHLDUU/story01.htm">
<title>Head to head</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/fP5_PiHLDUU/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Two candidates remain for Croatia's presidency. The winner will want to clean up the countryFOR many years, Croatia has sold itself to tourists under the slogan: &#8220;The Mediterranean As it Once Was.&#8221; These words are intended to conjure up images of unspoiled beaches and azure sea. But they might also hint at some of the more unpleasant features of many Mediterranean countries such as organised crime, corruption, administration in need of reform and a hopelessly inefficient judiciary.Most power in Croatia lies with the government but the president has significant influence. So, the winner of the second round of the Croatian elections will help set the tone for his country which could join the EU in 2012. The first round, held on Sunday December 27th determined the two candidates who will stand for election on January 10th. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/hfQzFwfRJNc/story01.htm">
<title>Global tinderbox</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/hfQzFwfRJNc/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[2010 could be a year that sparks unrestIF THE world appears to have escaped relatively unscathed by social unrest in 2009, despite suffering the worst recession since the 1930s, it might just prove the lull before the storm. Despite a tentative global recovery, for many people around the world economic and social conditions will continue to deteriorate in 2010. An estimated 60m people worldwide will lose their jobs. Poverty rates will continue to rise, with 200m people at risk of joining the ranks of those living on less than $2 a day. But poverty alone does not spark unrest&#8212;exaggerated income inequalities, poor governance, lack of social provision and ethnic tensions are all elements of the brew that foments unrest.  ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/Oist9ksRaq0/story01.htm">
<title>Hitting the slopes</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/Oist9ksRaq0/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[How to make skiing more ecologically friendlyCONSERVATIONISTS have never liked ski resorts and for good reason. Trees are chopped down to make way for trails that skiers can use. This breaks up forest habitat and stresses local species that are disturbed not only by the construction but also by the skiers themselves during the day and the maintenance crews at night. The machines used to create a smooth piste compact the ground and remove the topsoil, leaving scars down mountainsides that are clearly visible when the snow melts, as are the pylons used by the ski lifts. Yet a new study has revealed that certain ski slopes have unexpected ecological benefits.The most popular ski resorts in Europe are at high altitudes, where snow falls early in the season and, with luck, regularly throughout it. Most studies of the ecological impact of skiing have examined the ecological devastation caused by these resorts. However, few studies have examined the impact of skiing at resorts popular in the American west that are typically built at lower altitudes, below the tree line. The ski slopes at such resorts are created in one of two ways: chopping down trees, leaving small stumps that are covered by snow; and chopping down trees, removing the stumps, relocating any boulders and machine-levelling the ground. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/wqFNJP8QKio/story01.htm">
<title>Reform reversal?</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/wqFNJP8QKio/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[Debate over reform of the dominant state-owned sector is growing, but it is not being matched by actionReform of Vietnam's lumbering state-owned sector has slowed. The global economic and financial crisis has made conditions for "equitising", or part-privatising, state-run companies more challenging, and some policymakers also seem to be having second thoughts about the process itself. The government is actively considering reforms, but it is likely to move cautiously, and there is still considerable resistance to challenging the state-dominated status quo.Debate over Vietnam's long-term economic development strategy is growing. Policymakers are preparing a Strategy for Socio-economic Development for 2011-20. One element of their discussion will be the viability (or otherwise) of the country's current industrial strategy, and in particular Vietnam's reliance on large state-owned enterprises (SOEs). For more than a decade, large SOEs have been at the forefront of the country's industrial development strategy. This has reflected a belief in government circles that the fledgling private sector is insufficiently developed to take on this role, as it lacks a sufficient number of large and robust companies. ...
   
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<item rdf:about="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/eSrctjyXtxw/story01.htm">
<title>Terror in the sky</title>
<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/news_analysis_and_views/~3/eSrctjyXtxw/story01.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[An attempt to down an airliner, apparently inspired by al-Qaeda, thankfully failsEYEWITNESSES on the Northwest Airlines flight 253 between Amsterdam and Detroit on Christmas day spoke of a loud bang, a struggle and smoke and screams shortly before the plane touched down at its destination. It emerged that the chaotic scenes were of flight attendants and fellow passengers tackling a man apparently attempting to detonate a device concealed on his body. That he was unsuccessful in his apparent attempt to down the airliner is both a testament to the quick reactions of those travelling with him and the seemingly experimental nature of the device he was trying to let off.The seriousness of this new threat to airline safety is clear. &#8220;This was the real deal,&#8221; said Peter King, a senior Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. The White House declared the incident an &#8220;attempted act of terrorism&#8221;. The details of the failed attack are still unclear but some facts have emerged. The man who carried out the attack on a plane carrying 289 people is named as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a young Nigerian man who boarded a flight in Lagos and transferred to the Northwest jet in Amsterdam. He is believed to have spent several of the past few years studying at a university in London. ...
   
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