Interesting Reading...

Some interesting articles (abbreviated here):
America's Truth Deficit
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/18/opinion/
18greider.html?th&emc=th

By WILLIAM GREIDER
Published: July 18, 2005

Washington

DURING the cold war, as the Soviet economic system slowly unraveled, internal reform was impossible because highly placed officials who recognized the systemic disorders could not talk about them honestly. The United States is now in an equivalent predicament. Its weakening position in the global trading system is obvious and ominous, yet leaders in politics, business, finance and the news media are not willing to discuss candidly what is happening and why. Instead, they recycle the usual bromides about the benefits of free trade and assurances that everything will work out for the best.

Much like Soviet leaders, the American establishment is enthralled by utopian convictions - the market orthodoxy of free trade globalization. The United States is heading for yet another record trade deficit in 2005, possibly 25 percent larger than last year's. Our economy's international debt position - accumulated from many years of tolerating larger and larger trade deficits - began compounding ferociously in the last five years. Our net foreign indebtedness is now more than 25 percent of gross domestic product and at the current pace will reach 50 percent in four or five years.


For a British Novelist, a Fictional Plot Jarringly Leads to a Real-Life Problem
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/18/
technology/18link.html?th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=
1121695797-Gb+pNHq1Yd3cYj0DJQ8+pA

By TOM ZELLER Jr.
Published: July 18, 2005

FOR Chris Cleave, a British writer, the date stamp "7/7" will forever mark the bizarre convergence of two events: the deadly terrorist attack in London two weeks ago and the debut of his first novel, "Incendiary" - a story of despair and recovery in the wake of, yes, a deadly terrorist attack in London.

Indeed, as smoke billowed up from London's Underground on July 7, dozens of promotional posters for the book stared out from the subway walls - their images of smoke rising from the London skyline suddenly raw and offensive, their tagline, "What If?", suddenly ignorant.

Executives at Chatto & Windus, the Random House imprint that published the book in Britain, quickly had the posters removed. Print ads for the book were also withdrawn, and publicity engagements were canceled.

Mr. Cleave supported all of those decisions. "By sorrowful coincidence the day my book was published," Mr. Cleave wrote in The Sunday Telegraph last week, "its fictional world became murderous, brutal reality."

But for Mr. Cleave, questions of whether and how to proceed with promoting his novel lingered. So last Monday, he turned to the Internet and asked the world for guidance.

"Is it disrespectful to the families of the victims for me to keep endorsing it?" Mr. Cleave wrote in a Web forum he created. "Or would it be a greater disrespect if I didn't?"

In a telephone interview last week, Mr. Cleave said he had received hundreds of responses - through both the forum and private e-mail messages. They ranged from encouraging and thoughtful ("your book didn't cause the bombings"), to indifferent ("blah, blah, blah ... it's a book"), poignant ("art is more important than murderers") and strange ("my 'remote viewing' skills were unable to pinpoint the locations of possible terrorist attacks in England").

But more than anything, Mr. Cleave said, the responses have given him access to the views of people - in London and around the globe - as they take stock of a terrorist attack and try to move on.

"As a writer, I'm quite isolated sometimes," Mr. Cleave said. "I sit in my small room in my small flat looking out the window at this one particular tree - and that's my input."

www.chriscleave.com.

Tour's Pedal Pals: Stage to Hincapie; Armstrong Rolls On
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/18/
sports/sportsspecial/18tour.html

By SAMUEL ABT
Published: July 18, 2005

ST.-LARY-SOULAN, France, July 17 - In a day of triumph for the Discovery Channel team, Lance Armstrong solidified his hold on the lead of the Tour de France and, in a surprise, his teammate George Hincapie won the stage through six daunting climbs in the Pyrenees on Sunday.

Armstrong, center, checked out Jan Ullrich, right, during the 128-mile stage. Ivan Basso, left, moved into second while Ullrich stayed in fourth.

George Hincapie, Armstrong's teammate, won Sunday's stage.

"The greatest day of my career," Hincapie said. "I just won the biggest race of my life. I can't believe I won the hardest mountain stage in the Tour. I'm in shock right now."

Hincapie, who was born in Queens and grew up in Farmingdale, on Long Island, said that when he saw Armstrong after the finish, "He said, 'Unbelievable,' and gave me a big hug."

Hincapie is the only teammate of Armstrong's who has been with him for all six of his Tour victories, and they are neighbors in Girona, Spain, during the season.

"An exploit," Armstrong said of Hincapie's feat in the 15th stage. "You can't beat winning this stage.