Word: brassed
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...deal under which Soviet hydroelectric power will be exchanged for Chinese goods and produce. In April 76 Chinese peasants, accompanied by interpreters, crossed the border at Suifenhe to spend six months demonstrating to Siberian farmers their techniques for planting, growing and harvesting. The Chinese were greeted with a brass band and welcoming banners when they arrived in Pogranichny. The Inner Mongolian town of Manzhouli is talking about a similar arrangement with Zabaikalsk, just over the strip of border that is still patrolled by Soviet guard dogs and marked by watchtowers and electrified fences. Says Manzhouli Mayor Xu Shaoan: "Our Soviet...
...everything: hard-pounding loudspeakers woof and tweet to the strains of Tito Puente, Hansel y Raul and Willie Colon. The songs are mostly rhythmically irresistible salsa songs that combine the heady call-and- response of African music with the electronic surge of rock 'n' roll and the glitzy brass of a Big Band. The dancers move to the beat like a snake to the charmer's call: the hotter the tune, the cooler the step as the men expertly guide the women through the twists and curves of the mambo, the cha- cha-cha, the merengue and the rumba...
Akhromeyev's pilgrimage was set up by Admiral William Crowe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The two leaders got along so well during a meeting at the Pentagon last December that Crowe figured a longer visit would improve relations. Military brass insist that the Soviet marshal will not get a peek at any vital secrets during his trip, but he will get to glimpse such vital institutions as a rodeo and a western-style barbecue when his tour reaches Crowe's home state of Oklahoma...
...Pentagon, one fear is that Ill Wind could force officials to invalidate scores of weapons contracts and throw them open for new bids. That could lead to chaos in procurement and delay production of some weapons systems for years. But the brass may have no choice: if investigators prove that a contract was obtained illegally, a court may rule that contract invalid. For example, Grumman Corp. lost the advanced tactical aircraft contract to the combine of McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics. If allegations in Ill Wind search warrants are proved correct, Grumman could sue to have a new competition...
...army of Washington-based consultants perform an indispensable chore when they are honest. Sometimes dubbed "rent-a-general" agencies, the firms hire former Pentagon brass and braid, then charge as much as $1,000 a day for their advice. Many of the consultants worked in procurement and retain close contacts with their former colleagues. They know both the procedural intricacies of how contracts are processed and the technical needs of the services. "You almost have to be an insider to understand it," says Spratt. Without these middlemen, the military's complex procurement system might not work...