Word: contrasting
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...downtown Gangtok is the nostalgic Nor-Khill Hotel, tel: (91-3592) 225637. Built by the Chogyal (King) of Sikkim in 1932 as a guesthouse for visiting dignitaries, it's a stunning example of old-school Sikkimese architecture. And its red pillars, peaked roof and intricate carvings are a huge contrast to the concrete blocks of modern Gangtok. Whiling away an afternoon on the terrace is a pleasant diversion from shopping for handicrafts. It also offers a chance to bump into celeb guests like Bollywood star Danny Dengzopa or the Dalai Lama. The Dragon Bar, replete with a barman...
...oases of despair where joblessness exceeds the estimated national rate of 20% and illiteracy runs over 50%. Such conditions are easily exploited by radical Islamist groups like the outlawed Salafia Jihadia and its offshoot Assirat al Moustaqim (Straight Path), which officials say recruited the bombers. "That's a major contrast with Islamist networks in the Gulf and Middle East, which rely mostly on the educated, cultivated upper-middle and affluent classes for members," notes a French terrorism official. "The Casablanca attackers were closer to [convicted shoe bomber] Richard Reid." To carry out the Casablanca attacks, Straight Path selected Sidi Moumen...
...last only a few months, says Dr. Clark Taylor of Missoula, Mont., president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, fillers can quickly become a recurring expense. The procedures, he points out, can cost $700 to $900 for something that lasts just half a year. A face-lift, by contrast, costs between $4,000 and $6,000 but generally lasts 10 to 15 years before requiring touch-ups. Taylor is concerned that women will become addicted to their biannual collagen fix. "What doesn't get talked about enough," he says, "is whether we are creating filler junkies...
Roger Angell, by contrast, comes from the magazine writer's school of sportswriting: calm, meditative, not deadline driven or space cramped, free to follow the fast-and-slow, squeeze-and-relax rhythms of the game. His new book, Game Time (Harcourt; 398 pages), is a collection of pieces written for the New Yorker. Culled from 40 years and around a million words of baseball writing, they have a certain aged, triple-distilled quality: each one has the internal complexity of a novel. Angell likes to skirt the edges of the diamond: he keeps a lonely big-league scout company...
...centers from Guangzhou to Beijing have been devastated by the pneumonia-like illness, China's financial capital has so far reported only 11 suspected cases and seven confirmed ones?of the latter, two have died and one is an American who was released from hospital late last week. By contrast, in Beijing, where officials announced last week that people who intentionally spread SARS could face the death penalty, there are more than 2,400 cases, of which more than 140 have died. Maintaining Shanghai's SARS-free reputation has become an all-encompassing obsession for this proud city. After...