Below are the 10 most recent journal entries recorded in wwmm2008's LiveJournal:

Tuesday, October 31st, 2006
3:04 pm	Verizon Touts Broadband, Video Growth Verizon Touts Broadband, Video Growth Verizon Communications pointed to the initial success of its fiber-based FiOS video and data network as it reported its third-quarter 2006 financial results, and said the FiOS additions are helping to offset its gradually eroding business in providing traditional phone service. The telco had 118,000 FiOS TV customers at the end of Q3, an an average 10% penetration for the markets where it's available. It added 147,00 FiOS Internet customers in the quarter for a total of 522,000 customers using the fiber network for their data services. Overall, Verizon added 448,000 broadband connections in the quarter, counting both FiOS Internet Service and DSL customers, for a total broadband customer base of 6.6 million (an increase of 45.1 percent compared with the third quarter 2005). Over the past year, Verizon says it has added more than 2 million net new DSL and FiOS Internet customers. Taking a broad look at Verizon's consumer business, the company said it added 120,000 more net broadband and video customers during the third quarter than it lost in primary wireline voice access lines, reflecting the defection of customers to wireless, cable or Internet protocol (IP) services.Primary residential access lines decreased by 419,000 in the third quarter 2006, compared with the second quarter 2006, while Verizon added 539,000 residential broadband and video customers, including customers with DIRECTV bundles, over the same period. Verizon posted revenues of $23.3 billion for the quarter, a 25.8% jump from the previous year, and earnings of $1.9 billion, or 66 cents per diluted share, compared with $1.9 billion, or 67 cents per share, in the third quarter 2005. louis vuitton replica watch power cord replica rolex extension cord power cord Argentina IRAM power cord China CCC power cord European extension cord European power cord UK SAA cable reel UK SAA power cord UL CSA extension cord UL CSA power cord UL CSA power strip (1 Comment |Comment on this)
7:02 am	Commentary: Who is afraid of the Iranian bomb? Commentary: Who is afraid of the Iranian bomb? TEL AVIV -- At the height of the epic Battle of Britain in 1940, when British airmen were killed at an appalling rate ("never was so much owed by so many to so few"), an official in charge of propaganda had a bright idea to raise morale. On the walls at the Royal Air Force bases a poster appeared with these words: "Who is afraid of the Ju-87?" (At the time, one of the most effective German planes.) An anonymous pilot penciled in: "Sign here!" Within a few hours, all the pilots of the base had signed. If today someone were to hang a poster with the slogan "Who is afraid of the Iranian nuclear bomb?" I believe that all the people in Israel, and many beyond, would sign. It seems that we Israelis are always in need of something to be afraid of. When we open our eyes in the morning, we must see the danger-of-the-day. Otherwise, what is there to get up for? Perhaps it's not the public that is to blame, but the politicians who use fear as a means of control. Not so long ago, it was Hezbollah. Muslim fanatics, crazy Shiites, who want to annihilate Israel. A huge arsenal of rockets. God protect us! In the meantime there was a war, the rockets were launched, the damage to life and property was comparatively slight (for those who were not hit, of course). The terrible danger of Hezbollah was pushed into a corner. True, Hezbollah remained where it has been, the rockets are being replenished and Nasrallah continues to infuriate, but all this has ceased to evoke any real interest. A used danger is not exciting anymore. Now the army chiefs, bankrupted in Lebanon, are making a big effort to create a new fear: Hamas in the Gaza strip. Now, here we have an immediate and terrible danger. Tons and tons of "regular explosives" are coming in through the tunnels. Any moment now, Hamas will be equipped with modern anti-tank weapons, as well as anti-aircraft missiles. Hamas is building underground fortifications. Isn't that scary? The military and political parrots in the media are fully mobilized. This entire media parrotry is repeating the bloodcurdling message morning, noon, and night: Gaza is becoming a second South Lebanon! Something has to be done! We cannot wait! The army must go in, occupy the Strip, or at least parts of it! But the public is not really buying it. It is hard to create fear when the enemy is not able to shoot back. Our aircraft and tanks and brave boys are killing there without hindrance. So what is there to fear? But the Iranian story is something else altogether. There is indeed cause for fear. Here we have an enemy who declares that he is opposed to the very existence of our state, and who may soon be facing us with weapons of mass destruction. The elected president of Iran, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, is really enjoying letting loose provocative declarations. That's his private hobby, but also a successful domestic political ploy. He has said that the Holocaust did not happen at all, and if it happened, it was smaller than announced, and the whole thing has to be researched. He also prophesies the destruction of the "Zionist regime." To tell the truth, he did not quite say that he intends to "wipe Israel from the map", as was reported. According to the most accurate translation that I have seen, what he actually said was "Israel will be wiped from the map of the future." But that is scary enough. It is scary because in a few years, Iran may well have a nuclear bomb. It seems that this cannot be prevented. Twenty-five years ago, Israel bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor. Iran has learned the lesson and has distributed its nuclear facilities in many different places. Israel's capabilities are not sufficient for their destruction. The appointment of Avigdor Liberman, a proponent of fascist ideas, as "Minister in Charge of the Strategic Threat," does not change anything in this respect. If Israel, which is only the fourth or fifth military power on earth, cannot do it, what about the US, the No. 1 in almost everything? Well, they are not able to, either. Installations buried deep in the earth may not be destroyed, and the ensuing war cannot be won without putting forces on the ground. And after the fiascoes in Iraq and Afghanistan, there are not many sane American generals who long for that. So it is quite possible that in a few years, the Iranian president will not only have boasts on his lips but also nuclear weapons in his hands. And if that isn't scary, I don't know what is scary. If so, why am I not scared? I live in Israel, and I fully intend to continue living here. Israel is a small country, and a large part of its population lives in Greater Tel Aviv. I live in the center of the city, in what the Americans would call Ground Zero. If a small and primitive nuclear weapon of the Hiroshima type falls on the building where I live, a large part of the Israeli population will be annihilated. Two or three such bombs are enough to put an end to Israel (together with the neighboring Palestinian territories). But I don't believe this will happen. In order to believe in such a possibility, one has to see the leaders of Iran as a bunch of lunatics. In spite of the efforts of Ahmadinejad to convince us that he is mad, I am not so sure. I believe that the Iranian leadership, and especially the religious-political leadership, is composed of very sane people. Since assuming power, they have trodden with caution and competence. They have not started any war. On the contrary, they boast that in the last 2,000 years Iran has not started any war at all. And in the Iranian establishment, the president is just a politician who is completely subservient to the Ayatollahs, who are in effective control. (Curiously enough, the same system prevails in our own fundamentalist parties, Agudat Israel and Shas.) I do not ignore what Ahmadinejad has said. After Adolf Hitler and Mein Kampf, who would dare to ignore such statements of intent? But the Iranian president does not have the power of the German fuehrer, the two countries are completely different, and so are the historical circumstances. The annihilation of Tel Aviv would inevitably bring about the annihilation of Tehran and the precious treasures of the ancient and glorious Persian culture. In chess terms, it would not be an exchange of queens, but an exchange of kings. It is much more reasonable to assume that between Iran and Israel a "balance of terror" will be established, like the one that prevented World War III between the US and the Soviet Union, and that is now preventing a renewal of the Indian-Pakistani war. In spite of this, we should not wait inactively for the creation of a situation in which Israel, Iran, and perhaps Arab states like Egypt and Saudi Arabia will possess nuclear bombs. The nuclear genie is out of the bottle, and is spreading throughout the world. If there is no military option, what can be done? In order to forestall the danger, the main effort should be to make peace with the Palestinian people, and with the entire Arab world. People like Ehud Olmert may delude themselves that the Palestinian problem can be isolated from global and regional processes. But the problem is influenced by many factors, which are in constant flux. The relative strength of the US, our only ally in the world (except for Fiji, Micronesia, and the Marshall islands), is decreasing slowly but persistently. Iran is becoming a regional power. The nuclear aspects give the historic conflict a new dimension. As the Greek philosopher said: panta rhei, everything is flowing. Generals can hallucinate about a huge victory over Hamas in Gaza, Olmert can ask himself Hamlet-like "to talk or not to talk" (with Mahmoud Abbas), but in the meantime things are happening that ought to accelerate the achievement of a historic reconciliation between the two peoples. If the elected leadership of the Palestinian people signs an agreement with us announcing the end of the conflict, and if the entire Arab world makes peace with us along the lines of the "Saudi initiative," the rug will be pulled out from under the Ahmadinejads everywhere. If the Palestinians themselves accept the idea of the coexistence of Israel and Palestine, and if Egypt, Jordan, and most of the Arab world endorse it, on behalf of whom will the Iranians liberate Palestine? In the framework of the process of achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace, it will also be necessary to examine the idea of creating a nuclear weapons-free region. Is effective mutual inspection possible? Can there be iron-clad guarantees? At the moment, that is difficult to assess. But it's worthwhile to find out. Anyway, there is no reason for apocalyptic nightmares. Even a nuclear bomb in Tehran's hands is not the end of the world, and not even the end of Israel. A new situation will arise, and we must live with it. The fathers of Zionism called on the Jews to take their fate into their own hands and return to the stage of history, and those who followed took upon themselves all the dangers involved. The world is a dangerous place, there is no existence without danger. I only hope that we shall have the good sense not to increase the dangers that are out there anyhow. Like those brave British airmen, we have the right to be afraid. But we must face the new situation with a clear mind and sober resolution. Electric water Kettle Kettle Electric Kettles Electric Electric Ovens Electrical Ovens Electrical Oven Electric Cookers Electrical Cookers Electric Cooker Electrical Cooker Cheap Electric Cookers Digital Photo Frames Electronic picture Frame Album Photos Digital Photo Album (Comment on this)
Monday, October 2nd, 2006
3:57 pm	Press Release Press Release Rittal's New Carbon and Stainless Steel Freestanding Enclosures Offer Type 4/4X, 12, SPRINGFIELD, OH, September 15, 2006 - Rittal Corp. has updated its line of freestanding enclosures by adding new heavy-duty models in carbon steel and Type 304 and 316 stainless steel. Available with a flange-mount disconnect option, these enclosures offer Type 4/4X, 12, 13 and 3R protection for a variety of electrical equipment. Available with up to five doors, both the carbon steel and stainless steel freestanding enclosures are ideal for indoor applications where equipment needs to be protected from dust, dirt, oil and water. UL and cUL listed, the carbon and stainless steel freestanding enclosures feature continuously welded seams for outstanding equipment protection and trouble-free operation. Other design features include: o Foamed-in-place gasketing o 3-point latching system o Body stiffeners for extra rigidity o Lift-off hinges o Removable heavy-duty lifting eyes mounted to the top o C-channels welded to the interior sides for optional mounting Rittal stainless steel UL type freestanding enclosures accept all standard components. Rittal UL type freestanding disconnect enclosures accept all standard available disconnects and circuit-breakers. A flange-mount disconnect FMD configuration of the carbon and stainless steel freestanding enclosures is also available. This enclosure configuration features: a center post that can be removed for panel installation, doors that can be closed in any order and heavy-duty lifting eyes. If you would like more information about Rittal's carbon and stainless steel freestanding enclosures or any other Rittal products, please contact Rittal today or visit www.rittal-corp.com. Rittal Corporation, headquartered in Springfield, Ohio, is a part of Rittal GmbH & Co. KG - the world's leading enclosure manufacturer. Their complete product offering includes industrial enclosures, 19" electronic components, climate control, power distribution, data communication and telecommunication/outdoor products. Bedroom Furnitures Kids Furnitures Discount Furnitures Cheap Furnitures Outdoor Sporting Goods dns Appliances for mobile Homes Ovens for mobile Homes Furnitures and Appliances Appliances for Homes Homes Appliance Products Wholesale Wholesale Productsbloghi spraci blogdrive blogeasy 58732231 livejournal ebloggy 20six.co.uk 20six.de 20six.fr 20six.nl (Comment on this)
Monday, January 23rd, 2006
2:44 pm	Israeli defense minister hints military action toward Iran Israeli defense minister hints military action toward Iran Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has hinted Israel is preparing for military action to stop Iran's nuclear program, but says international diplomacy must be the first course of action. Speaking at a high-profile academic conference Saturday, Mofaz has suggested Israel would take military action to thwart Iran's nuclear program. "Yesterday, the Iranian President outdid himself, and in order to be sure that the terror against Israel will not slow down for a moment, and will even increase, met with the heads of all terror organizations personally." Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has met with leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Syria on Friday. Israel has long identified Iran as its biggest threat and has accused the Tehran government of pursuing nuclear weapons. (Source: CRIENGLISH.com) wwmm blogsn link to me blogcn blogsn blogomo (Comment on this)
Monday, January 16th, 2006
4:55 pm	Canadian diplomat killed in suicide attack in Afghanistan Canadian diplomat killed in suicide attack in Afghanistan A senior Canadian diplomat died in Afghanistan on Sunday in a suicide bomb attack which also killed two others and injured 12, Canada's Foreign Affairs Department said. Foreign Affairs Political Director, Glyn Berry, was killed during an attack on a provincial reconstruction convoy, said Peter Harder, deputy minister of Canada's foreign affairs. The attack occurred about one km southeast of Canada's military base in Kandahar City, Harder said, adding that the diplomat was on his way to visit a local Afghan leader. Two Afghan civilians also died in the attack, while at least nine Afghan civilians and three Canadian soldiers were among the wounded, Afghan authorities said. Canada is currently the second largest contributor of coalition force in Afghanistan, just after the United States. The Canadian troops are tasked with helping Afghan forces hunt down militants. ab cd ef gg ee tt uu ui (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 10th, 2006
2:15 pm	13 killed in Iranian military plane crash 13 killed in Iranian military plane crash Related: 11 confirmed dead in Iranian military aircraft crash A military aircraft crashed in northwestern Iran on Monday morning, killing all 13 aboard. A frame grab taken from Iranian Al-Alam TV shows the wreckage of the Falcon military plane that crashed near Orumiyeh in northwestern Iran near the Turkish border. (Xinhua/AFP photo) The small Falcon jet belonging to Iran's elite militia force Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) went down in Aidinlou village near Orumiyeh, the capital of West Azarbaijan province,the official IRNA news agency reported. Police has cordoned off the site of the crash, the report added. Head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Yahya Rahim Safavi (L), Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar (2nd L), senior Revolutionary Guard commander Ali Akbar Ahmadian (2nd R) and head of the corps' ground forces Ahmad Kazemi salute Iranian soldiers during a military parade to commemorate the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, in Tehran September 22, 2005. (Xinhua/Reuters file) Massoud Jazayeri, a spokesman of the IRGC, confirmed that IRGC commanders were on board, but he didn't reveal their identities. The local news agency Fars reported that among the victims were Ahmad Kazemi, commander of the ground forces of the IRGC and seven other senior officers. He added that the IRGC had begun investigating the cause of the crash and would issue an official announcement soon. It was heavily snowing when the crash took place, but there has been no official link of the accident to the terrible weather condition. Iran has witnessed high rate of aircrush due to the lack of spare parts and maintenance of aircraft, especially U.S.-made planes, as a result of U.S. economic sanctions. An Iranian C-130 transport aircraft crashed on Dec. 6 last year in a residential area in Tehran shortly after take-off, killing 108 aboard and on the ground. g-blog linuxgazette bloglines blog blog-city blogomonster over-blog 20six.co.uk 20six 20six.fr 20six.nl (Comment on this)
2:11 pm	Prominent scientists awarded for innovation Prominent scientists awarded for innovation Chinese President Hu Jintao (C) poses for a photo with Ye Duzheng (R) and Wu Mengchao, winnners of China's 2005 national science and technology awards, at the Fourth National Conference on Science and Technology held in Beijing January 9, 2006. (Xinhua photo) BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- On Monday morning in Beijing, at a national conference on enhancing China's innovation capabilities, President Hu Jintao presented Ye Duzheng and Wu Mengchao, winners of China's top science and technology award, with a prize of 5 million yuan (about 600,000 U.S. dollars) each. The conference, the first national conference on science and technology in more than a decade, aims to arouse the whole nation to take "a distinctively Chinese path of innovation and work hard to build an innovation-oriented country." Addressing the conference, attended by all nine members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Hu called on the nation to make a concerted effort to lift China into the ranks of "innovation-oriented countries" in 15 years. He said the key elements in building an innovation-oriented society are enhancing innovation capabilities in science and technology, using innovation to readjust industrial structures, shifting growth modes, building a conservation-minded and environmentally friendly society and making "enhanced innovation capabilities" a national strategy. After enjoying continuous rapid economic growth since the late 1970s, China has come to a point where it has to make adjustments if the growth is to continue. Wang Yuan, who took part in drafting China's medium and long-range scientific and technological development program, said that without significant scientific and technological progress anda fundamental shift in the mode of economic growth, it will be hard for China to accomplish its growth target of quadrupling its GDP between 2000 and 2020. "International experience has shown that during the development stage when per capita GDP is between 1,000 and 3,000 dollars, traditional production factors contribute progressively less to economic growth while the importance of technological innovation rises markedly," he said. Wang acknowledged that national conditions have determined that"it's impossible for China to develop by relying mainly on natural resources and on the capital, markets and technology of developed countries." China's per capita possession of fresh water is only one fourthof the world average level, arable land less than 40 percent, proven coal reserves 62 percent, proven oil reserves 7 percent and forest one fifth of the world average level. Meanwhile, China consumes 40 percent more energy in electricity,iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals, building materials, chemical, light industry and textiles production than advanced countries. In addition to this waste of resources, a lack of progress in innovation also impairs the value of Chinese exports. China is a big exporter of textiles but a major importer of planes. Gao Xiangjun, a Chinese trade official, said China has to export 800 million shirts to pay for a plane. "That's embarrassing for every Chinese." Progress in innovation is also expected to help China upgrade its exports and avoid conflicts of interest with other developing countries. Hu called the decision to build China into an innovation-oriented country, made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, "a major strategic decision" that influences the overall situation of China's socialist modernisation. wwmm link to me tblog bloghi blogdrive blogeasy [Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<a [...] http://wwmm.ebloggy.com">') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.] Prominent scientists awarded for innovation Chinese President Hu Jintao (C) poses for a photo with Ye Duzheng (R) and Wu Mengchao, winnners of China's 2005 national science and technology awards, at the Fourth National Conference on Science and Technology held in Beijing January 9, 2006. (Xinhua photo) BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- On Monday morning in Beijing, at a national conference on enhancing China's innovation capabilities, President Hu Jintao presented Ye Duzheng and Wu Mengchao, winners of China's top science and technology award, with a prize of 5 million yuan (about 600,000 U.S. dollars) each. The conference, the first national conference on science and technology in more than a decade, aims to arouse the whole nation to take "a distinctively Chinese path of innovation and work hard to build an innovation-oriented country." Addressing the conference, attended by all nine members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Hu called on the nation to make a concerted effort to lift China into the ranks of "innovation-oriented countries" in 15 years. He said the key elements in building an innovation-oriented society are enhancing innovation capabilities in science and technology, using innovation to readjust industrial structures, shifting growth modes, building a conservation-minded and environmentally friendly society and making "enhanced innovation capabilities" a national strategy. After enjoying continuous rapid economic growth since the late 1970s, China has come to a point where it has to make adjustments if the growth is to continue. Wang Yuan, who took part in drafting China's medium and long-range scientific and technological development program, said that without significant scientific and technological progress anda fundamental shift in the mode of economic growth, it will be hard for China to accomplish its growth target of quadrupling its GDP between 2000 and 2020. "International experience has shown that during the development stage when per capita GDP is between 1,000 and 3,000 dollars, traditional production factors contribute progressively less to economic growth while the importance of technological innovation rises markedly," he said. Wang acknowledged that national conditions have determined that"it's impossible for China to develop by relying mainly on natural resources and on the capital, markets and technology of developed countries." China's per capita possession of fresh water is only one fourthof the world average level, arable land less than 40 percent, proven coal reserves 62 percent, proven oil reserves 7 percent and forest one fifth of the world average level. Meanwhile, China consumes 40 percent more energy in electricity,iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals, building materials, chemical, light industry and textiles production than advanced countries. In addition to this waste of resources, a lack of progress in innovation also impairs the value of Chinese exports. China is a big exporter of textiles but a major importer of planes. Gao Xiangjun, a Chinese trade official, said China has to export 800 million shirts to pay for a plane. "That's embarrassing for every Chinese." Progress in innovation is also expected to help China upgrade its exports and avoid conflicts of interest with other developing countries. Hu called the decision to build China into an innovation-oriented country, made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, "a major strategic decision" that influences the overall situation of China's socialist modernisation. <a href="http://www.wwmm.com.cn">wwmm</a> <a href="http://www.wwmm.com.cn/link.htm">link to me</a> <a href="http://jroller.com/page/wwmm"></a> <a href="http://wwmm.tblog.com">tblog</a> <a href="http://wwmm.bloghi.com">bloghi</a> <a href="http://wwmm.blogdrive.com">blogdrive</a> <a href="http://wwmm.blogeasy.com">blogeasy</a> <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/wwmm2008</a> <a href="http://wwmm.ebloggy.com">ebloggy</a> (Comment on this)
Friday, January 6th, 2006
5:14 pm	Int'l oil prices likely to drop: report Int'l oil prices likely to drop: report Oil prices on the international market are expected to drop moderately this year, one of China's major think tanks was quoted as saying Friday. Li Xiangyang, deputy director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, listed the slowdown of global economy, slower growth of demand for oil due to higher oil prices and increased oil output as major factors for his forecast. Attention should be paid to the flow of international capital while keeping an eye on the fluctuation of the oil prices, Li was quoted by Shanghai Securities News as saying. Historically speaking, oil-producing nations would accumulate large amounts of petro dollars during the past several rounds of oil crises, which produced a significant impact on global financial market, he said at a ceremony to launch a report on world economy during 2005 and 2006. The current round of oil price hike has lasted for a relatively long period of time and the prices have risen by a big margin, resulting in large amounts of foreign exchange reserves in oil-producing nations, Li said. The investment destination of those reserves will be the focal point of attention of the international financial circle, said Li. 20six.co.uk 20six.de 20six.fr 20six.nl (Comment on this)
Thursday, October 6th, 2005
9:54 am	Japan to face population shrinkage crisis Like it or not, Japan is destined to face social crisis as its population begins to shrink after growing for more than a century, except for during the World War II period. The number of Japanese was estimated at about 33 million in thelate 1860s and grew at a relatively steady pace to 126.93 million in 2000. Japan became a rich industrialized nation in postwar years by harnessing this young and plentiful population. But the declining birthrate is leading to the swift graying of the society. Local experts on social study say the total fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime -- ofmore than two is necessary for a country to sustain its population. But Japan's birthrate has been plunging since it was at 1.91 in1975. It stood at 1.29 in 2003. According to Japan's National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (IPSSR), the population will start decreasing from 2007. IPSSR predicts that the natural decline, which means the numberof dead deducted from the number newborns, will total about 700,000 in the second half of 2020s -- equivalent to losing the populations of major cities like Kumamoto or Shizuoka every year. The population is forecast to drop to 100.59 million in 2050 --the level of 1967. The projection is based on the premise that thebirthrate will dwindle to 1.31 in 2007 but will recover to 1.39. But in reality, the birthrate is plummeting at an even faster pace. And Japan is not alone, many other rich countries face the sameproblem. The issue is even hitting Asia -- South Korea's birthratehas dropped to 1.54 in recent years. The trend will have a big impact on the workforce and is sparking fears that it will take a big bite out of Japan's economic might. Many figures point to this scenario. The average age is expected to rise from 41.4 in 2004 to 51.3 in 2050; the number of Japanese aged 65 or older will double swiftly from 10 percent of the population in 21 years compared with around 75 years for Britain and France; and the percentage of people aged 15 to 64 years old is expected to fall from 68.1 percent in 2000 to 53.6 percent in 2050. These changes will make it difficult for the nation to maintainthe social security system, including pension benefits and medicalinsurance. By prefecture, only Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shiga and Okinawa prefectures in the country will post population growth from 2000-2030. Thirty prefectures will see a 10 percent decline, while Akita, Yamaguchi and Nagasaki prefectures will face a more than 20 percent drop. The population of those aged 65 or older will continue to soar in cities in prefectures such as Tokyo and its neighboring Kanagawa prefecture. The number will double in 30 years from the 2000 level in Saitama and Chiba prefectures, indicating that the aging population in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area will become hugecrisis for the nation. Calls for drastic reform of the system are being made, but the parliament has been dragging its feet on the matter. According to IPSSR data, Japanese government spent about 47 trillion yen (about 415.9 billion US dollars) on social security benefits in fiscal 1990 and this amount skyrocketed to about 85 trillion yen (752.2 billion US dollars) in fiscal 2004, which ended on March 31 this year. Pension benefits account for more than half of the total socialsecurity expenditures. Each senior citizen was supported by 3.1 working adults in 2000. But 1.4 will have to support such a personin 2050. http://www.20six.co.uk/wwmm 企业网址导航 (Comment on this)
Monday, September 26th, 2005
3:53 pm	Hotels underbooked for National Day holiday BEIJING, Sept. 26 -- High-end business hotels in Shanghai foresee a slack time during the upcoming week-long National Day holiday, in spite of the "golden time" for tourism from October 1-7. However, the Formula One race just one week later, starting October 14, will help the hotels attain a big sales boom, with some claiming that there is already no room left for booking during that time. "The first week of October, China's national holiday, means that there will be few business travelers, and few forums or business events," said Zhang Yun, communications manager for InterContinental Pudong. She was explaining why the sales situation often contradicts assumptions. It is also the case with the Spring Festival as well as the first week in May, the Labor Day holiday, she added. Zhang said that the hotel offers a special discount from September 30 to October 9, which is only 788 yuan (US$97), less than half of the current price in late September. The price is applicable to both foreign and Chinese customers. The average price of St. Regis Shanghai during the National Day holiday is only around 1,000 yuan, also a half of the average normal price, according to Lu Qiwen, public relations manager of the hotel. Lu said that the occupancy rate during the "Golden Week" is around 40 percent, which is true with most of the high-end hotels in the city. However, the hotels will be able to recover the loss just one week later, thanks to the Formula One race from October 14 to October 16. All the rooms at the St. Regis have been booked during the F1 race, despite the price of US$400, said Lu. The current price is around US$270, Lu added. Zhang with InterContinental said few rooms were left for that period. The average price during the period will be almost double the current price. In fact, many racing fans had booked the hotels one year ago in view of the possible booking difficulties. (Source: Shanghai Daily) 企业网址导航 (Comment on this)