Word: bigs
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...prison five time zones east of Moscow, is testament to what happens to oligarchs who don't play by the rules. The former head of Yukos was on the verge of forming a partnership with Exxon-Mobil, and had called for a more open and democratic nation - both big no-nos in Putin's Russia - before he was arrested...
...Above all, he represents Sri Lanka's Sinhalese Buddhist heartland in the rural south. His sarong and tunic are the spotless white of a devout Buddhist; his reddish brown scarf the color of korakan, a rough grain eaten as the staple diet of poor farmers. Everything about Rajapaksa - his big laugh, his rough-and-ready English, his bejeweled fingers and ink-black hair - marks him as part of the rural bourgeoisie, not the urban élite educated abroad. This is more than just an image. He was elected to Parliament as its youngest member in 1970 and moved slowly...
...Still, Rajapaksa's instincts are sharp, and he is well aware that resettlement from the camps will be a big issue in provincial elections in August and the next presidential election, which could be held as early as November. His reasoning for keeping northern Tamils in detention is constantly shifting. At various points in our interview, Rajapaksa says he is waiting until the screening of LTTE fighters is complete; until the north has better roads, electricity and water supply; or until the land mines are cleared. "As soon as we do that, we will send them," he says...
...Think about how you want to start a company." The conversation led Chang, backed by state funding, to found Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), now the world's largest chip foundry and one of Taiwan's most prominent firms. That was just one part of the island's big push. Other electronics manufacturers - makers of notebook PCs, memory chips, LCD panels and other essential components - also set up shop, establishing Taiwan as a force in the global IT industry...
...country's education system stresses rote learning, resulting in "very little independent thinking and very little creativity." Chang also points out that Taiwan has to contend with a greatly changed international environment. "China wasn't in the picture 30 years ago, neither was India," Chang says. "You have a big competitor that can do the basic stuff at least as well as you can, but they can do it more cheaply." His conclusion: "The next transformation is going to be very hard," he says. Even with its history of beating the odds, Taiwan may be facing its stiffest challenge...