作者：Eco Team

The Democrats
民主党
Close but no cigar
几近结束,但无法庆祝

May 22nd 2008 | WASHINGTON, DC
From The Economist print edition

The contest that refuses to die
拒绝认输的竞争

ON MAY 20th both Democratic candidates had a chance to declare themselves winners. Hillary Clinton, speaking in Louisville, Kentucky, celebrated her two-to-one victory over Barack Obama in the state. A little later Mr Obama, speaking in Des Moines, Iowa, the state that turned him into a front-runner back in January, celebrated the fact that he was “within reach” of locking up the nomination.
5月20日，两位民主党人都有宣布自己获胜的机会。希拉里克林顿在肯塔基州路易斯维尔宣布，她在这个州的初选当中以2：1的比例战胜奥巴马。晚些时候，奥巴马在爱荷华州得梅因宣布自己“几乎”锁定提名。正是这个州在今年一月使奥巴马成为领头羊。

Mrs Clinton’s gigantic victory in Kentucky has steeled her determination to run the race to the very end. She will contest the three remaining primaries (in Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota). She will also present a vigorous case to a special meeting of the Democratic National Committee on May 31st that the votes in Florida and Michigan should be counted. She told supporters in Louisville that she would keep campaigning until the party had a nominee—“whoever she may be”.
克林顿夫人在肯塔基州的大胜更加坚定了她战斗到底的决心。她会参加剩下的三场初选（波多黎各，蒙大拿和南达科他）。并且在民主党全国委员会5月31日的特 殊会议上据理力争,要求将佛罗里达和密歇根的投票计入统计。她告诉路易斯维尔的支持者，自己会继续竞选，除非党内提名最终确定——“不管她是谁”。 继续阅读“[2008.05.22] Close but no cigar 几近结束,但无法庆祝”

Australia
澳大利亚
The lucky prime minister
幸运的总理

May 15th 2008 | CANBERRA
2008年5月15日
From The Economist print edition
摘自《经济学人》印刷版

Kevin Rudd tries to be a prudent big spender
财政支出一掷千金，回避争议一路审慎

WHEN he led the Labor Party to victory in November, Kevin Rudd, Australia’s prime minister, boasted that he was a fiscal conservative. So when his government presented its first budget on May 13th, everyone wanted to see if he would remain true to that claim or to his other election promises to splurge cash on education, transport, health and the environment. In the event, Mr Rudd managed to do a bit of both.
在11月份领导工党胜利后，澳大利亚总理陆克文自夸说自己是一位财政保守主义者。因此，在政府于5月13日提交第一份财政预算时，大家都想看总理能否言行一致，也想看他能否兑现在竞选中关于在教育、运输、卫生和环境上的投放大量资金的承诺。现在的结果是，陆克文总理成功地做到了两者兼顾。

继续阅读“[2005.05.17] The lucky prime minister 幸运的总理”

Urban crime
城市犯罪
The mystery of violence
暴力之谜

May 15th 2008 | CHICAGO
From The Economist print edition

Chicago’s continuing fight against gangs and guns
芝加哥不停地与黑帮和枪支作斗争

APRIL was a cruel and bloody month in Chicago. “We want futures, not funerals!” students shouted at a rally on April 1st. But more funerals followed. The most violent weekend, April 18th-20th, saw no few than 36 shootings—15 of them gang-related—and nine deaths. As Chicago prepares for the summer, when violence usually tends to rise, two questions linger: what has caused this outburst, and what can be done about it?
在 芝加哥，四月是残酷血腥的一月。“我们要未来，而不是葬礼！”学生们在四月一号的一次集会中这样喊到。然而更多的葬礼接踵而来。四月十八日到四月二十日这 个最暴力的周末，发生了不少于三十六起枪击案-其中十五起与黑帮有关-并导致九人死亡。芝加哥即将迎来夏天，而暴力通常随之上升。这里有两个问题：什么导 致了暴力行为的暴发？我们能对此做些什么？ 继续阅读“[2008.05.17] The mystery of violence 暴力之谜”

Aviation
航空业
Flying the flag
国旗飘扬

May 15th 2008
From The Economist print edition

Taking on Boeing and Airbus could be an expensive mistake for China
对抗波音和空客是一个错误,中国可能付出巨大的代价

“THE Chinese people must use their own two hands and their wisdom to manufacture internationally competitive large aircraft. It is the will of the nation and all its people to have a Chinese large aircraft soar into the blue sky.” With these visionary words Wen Jiabao, China’s prime minister, launched Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (CACC) this week. Its mission is nothing less than to mount a challenge to the global duopoly of Europe’s Airbus and America’s Boeing.
“中国人要用 自己的双手和智慧制造有国际竞争力的大飞机.让中国的大飞机飞上蓝天，既是国家的意志，也是全国人民的意志.”伴随着这些慷慨陈词,中国总理温家宝在本周 宣布中国商用飞机有限责任公司(CACC)正式成立.它的使命毫无疑问是挑战欧洲空客和美国波音的国际双头垄断.
继续阅读“[2008.05.17] Flying the flag 国旗飘扬”

Indian bombs
印度爆炸
Blood in the Pink City
喋血粉红城

May 15th 2008 | JAIPUR
From The Economist print edition

Terrorists strike one of India’s tourist capitals
恐怖分子袭击了一个印度旅游胜地

Less lovely Jaipur
不太可爱的斋普尔

BICYCLES carry some extraordinary loads in India—bulging sacks of rice, grain, even coal. But the humble push-bike is earning a reputation as a terrorist’s packhorse. On May 13th seven bombs exploded inside the old walled quarter of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, and an eighth wreaked havoc outside a Hindu temple nearby. The blasts killed over 60 people and injured over 200 others. According to the Times of India, citing the state’s police chief, several of the bombs were stowed on new Avon bicycles.
在印度，自行车用途甚广，比方说驮运成袋的大米，谷物，甚至是煤。但是小小的自行车如今却落得恐怖分子驮马 的名声。5月13日，拉贾斯坦邦首府斋普尔的老城区接连发生七起炸弹爆炸袭击，第八次发泄怒火的袭击发生在印度庙附近。爆炸造成超过60人死亡，逾200 人受伤。根据《印度时报》援引拉贾斯坦邦警察总长的报道，一些炸弹就安放在崭新的Avon自行车上。 继续阅读“[2008.05.17] Blood in the Pink City 喋血粉红城”

The UN and humanitarian intervention
联合国和人道主义干预
To protect sovereignty, or to protect lives?
保护主权，还是拯救生命？

May 15th 2008
From The Economist print edition

The new notion of global responsibility to alleviate suffering has struggled to win acceptance—and Myanmar will not be the place where it comes of age
减轻灾难痛苦是全球责任这一新理念正在努力获得世人的认可，但缅甸显然不是让这一理念付诸实践的地方

Illustration by David Simonds
漫画：大卫西蒙

“IT WOULD only take half an hour for the French boats and French helicopters to reach the disaster area.” Those were the wistful words uttered by Bernard Kouchner, France’s foreign minister, as his country’s diplomats at the United Nations vainly argued that aid might have to be “imposed” on Myanmar if the military regime refused to co-operate.
“只需半个小时，法国船只和直升机就可以到达灾难区域。”法国外长库什内在表达提供帮助的希望时如是说。法国在联合国的外交官们徒劳的呼吁如果缅甸的军人政权拒绝合作，就应强制“缅甸”接受援助。
继续阅读“[2008.05.17] To protect sovereignty, or to protect lives? 保护主权，还是拯救生命？”

Global warming
全球变暖
A lot of hot air
热浪滚滚，夸夸其谈

May 15th 2008
From The Economist print edition

Books about climate change are often flawed—some more so than others
有关气候变化的书时常让人不敢恭维——浮华之作中更见浮华者

ONE of the most troubling aspects of climate change is the feedback loop. As the world warms, so frozen earth begins to melt, which releases greenhouse gases, which warms the world up further. Something similar seems to be happening with the literature of climate change. As people write books on global warming, so they generate interest in the subject, which increases demand, which leads to the writing of even more books. Both these cycles result in a lot of hot air.
（应对）气候变化最棘手 的一点就是它的反馈循环（feedback loop）：随着全球变暖，冰冻的大地开始融化，所释放出来的温室效应气体又进一步加剧全球变暖。某种“类反馈循环”似乎也发生在气候变化文献的写作上 ———人们写书探讨全球变暖，于是激发了公众对此类问题的兴趣，而这又扩大了书市需求，结果就是大家一起炒冷饭，越来越多的重复建设由此而起。这边厢热浪 滚滚，那边厢夸夸其谈，循环效应绵延不绝。 继续阅读“[2008.05.17] A lot of hot air 热浪滚滚，夸夸其谈”

The Amazon
亚马逊
Marina marches off
玛丽娜激流勇退

May 15th 2008
From The Economist print edition
2008年5月15日
摘自《经济学人》印刷版

Brazil’s minister for the Amazon resigns in frustration
护林工作兢兢业业，政治生涯磕磕绊绊

The rainforest’s defeated champion
惨败的雨林保护者

WHEN Marina Silva was appointed minister responsible for preserving the Amazon five years ago, she gave a big boost to Brazil’s standing among the world’s environmentalists. All her adult life, she had been a prominent and uncompromising activist for the preservation of the rainforest, so the choice was a bit like picking a human-rights lawyer to run the police. But on May 14th she resigned—out of sheer frustration. Her departure will now make it a lot harder for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government to convince Amazon-watchers of its determination to slow the rate of deforestation.
五年前，在玛丽娜•席尔瓦 (Marina Silva)被任命为部长负责保护亚马逊地区时，她在使巴西屹立全球环境保护大国之林中给予极大推动作用。在其所有的成年生活中，席尔瓦女士都是一名功勋 卓越和绝不妥协的雨林保护活动家，因此这一任职极象是选择一位人权利律师来管理警察。然而，在5月14日玛丽娜•席尔瓦女士选择了辞职——出于全线崩溃。 现在，席尔瓦女士的辞职将令亚马逊守护者难以相信卢拉政府拥有减缓森林砍伐速度的决心。
继续阅读“[2008.05.17] Marina marches off 玛丽娜激流勇退”