Brazil Bang

Ambassador Zoellick: I saw that in the Thai newspapers this morning. I forget whether it was The Nation or the Bangkok Post. Sorry. And that was not a topic that we discussed yesterday. From my reading of the stories, and you always have to be careful about what you read in the press, I think it was really focused on the developing countries moving from 2020 to 2015. Developed countries are already committed to 2010. As President Bush stated when we put forward the Enterprise for ASEAN Initiative, the best way that we see to try to meet both of our goals is to move ahead with these Free Trade Agreements. The region is so diverse, and you have so many different countries, that I don't think this is going to happen in a big bang. And the question is to create models, and to show progress. I am delighted that in the past year we were able to do that with Singapore and Chile. We already have it obviously with Mexico and Canada. We are moving ahead with Australia. It would be a real delig ... [Read More]

USIS Washington File: TEXT: 5/18 REMARKS BY IMF DIRECTOR CAMDESSUS ON JAPAN REFORM

These efforts will be supported and accelerated by pushing ahead with other reforms that have been placed on the agenda: an overhaul of the bankruptcy code to facilitate more rapid workouts of corporate debt; reforms to the tax system to encourage reduction of excess capacity and greater labor mobility; and other measures to improve corporate governance. Let me make the modest suggestion that Japan should approach the period ahead with the mind-set of achieving another "big bang", this time of corporate reform through a well-defined strategy. ... [Read More]

On-The-Record Briefing on UN Reform

So it is important that the Security Council remain effective and we do believe that a more modest expansion of the type that we have indicated today would be much more likely to maintain that effectiveness than a larger big-bang expansion where its effect would be highly in doubt. ... [Read More]

, "Working Behind the Scenes" , eJournal USA: Issues of Democracy, April 2005

I oversee the security, operations, and maintenance of the Supreme Court building. My most visible role is to attend all sessions of the Court to fulfill the responsibility of "crying" the Court when it is in session from October through June. Before court begins, I bang the gavel—I'm the only person in the courtroom with a gavel—introduce the nine justices and open the Court with the official opening cry of the Court, part of which is "Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!" ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: International Scientists Watch Sky for Possible Supernova

Gamma ray bursts are the most powerful explosions known other than the Big Bang. Many appear to be caused by the death of a massive star collapsing into a black hole. Others might be from merging black holes or neutron stars. In either case, the event likely produces twin, narrow jets in opposite directions, which carry off tremendous amounts of energy. If one of jets points to Earth, we see this energy as a gamma ray burst. ... [Read More]

Documentation of U.S. Citizens Born Abroad

U.S. Department of State [Read More]

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