Food Stuff

chup anh nghe thuat | central school |

Baked, Not Fried, and Still a Treat

By FLORENCE FABRICANT

Published: April 3, 2012

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The venerable Butterfield Market , a carriage-trade grocer on the Upper East Side, traces its beginnings to 1915 but is now focused on innovation: doughnuts that are baked, not fried.

Given many dieters' aversion to fried foods, "I thought they'd be popular," said Evan Obsatz, whose maternal grandfather and parents took over the market in 1972 and who is now involved in running it. He noticed a small, empty storefront a few doors south and has turned it into Baked by Butterfield.

The doughnuts, mostly cake style, look like their fried cousins and come in more than a dozen decorative varieties, including black-and-white, red velvet, ginger carrot, triple chocolate and olive-oil-thyme. They're like a cross between a cupcake and a doughnut, since they lack the slight crispness that fried doughnuts have on the outside. But in a neighborhood where coffee shops serve low-fat egg-white omelets, they could be a home run.

The baker, Newton Pryce, also makes yeast-raised doughnuts, satisfying plum-size sugared or glazed spheres filled with jelly, chocolate or cream. The roster of flavors will vary; a gluten-free variety is now available, while vegan and sugar-free doughnuts are in the works. The shop also sells coffee, tea, juices, lemonade and chocolates.

Baked by Butterfield, 1102 Lexington Avenue (77th Street), (212) 988-0196, bakedbybutterfield.com , is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Doughnuts are $1.50 to $3.75 each. Delivery is available citywide, for a fee, on orders of $20 or more.

Theo www.nytimes.com

Venezuelan Leader Prays for Life Before Cancer Treatment

Kinh Doanh | central school |

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he"s heading back to Cuba late Saturday for a third round of radiation therapy as part of his cancer treatment.

Photo: AP

Little is known about the 57-year-old socialist leader's condition, including what type of cancer he has. Mr. Chavez has undergone three operations in less than a year, and received two sessions of radiation treatment.

He says the latest surgery was successful, and that he will be fit to win a new six-year term in October.  On Thursday, a day after returning from Cuba, Mr. Chavez became emotional during a Mass held in his home state of Barinas.

Flanked by family members, Mr. Chavez asked God: "Please don't take me yet."  In a breaking voice, he said he still has "things to do for my people and my country."

Mr. Chavez underwent an operation in February in Cuba to remove a tumor from his pelvic region.  A tumor was extracted from the same area last year.  He has also undergone two rounds of radiation therapy.

Theo www.voanews.com

Syrian Troops Assault Rebel Strongholds, New Diplomatic Push Starts

giao duc | central school |

Syrian rights activists say government forces have assaulted several rebel strongholds, triggering battles that killed 40 people as Arab nations began a new diplomatic effort to end Syria"s year-long conflict.

Photo: AP/Local Coordination Committees in Syria

Black smoke rises from buildings in Homs, Syria, March 27, 2012 (AP is unable to independently verify the authenticity, content, location or date of this handout photo.)

Activists said Wednesday that government troops battled opposition forces in the towns of Rastan in central Syria and Daraa in the south.

The New York Times, citing the Local Coordination Committees activist group, reported that troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad stormed the northern town of Saraqeb, leaving 40 people dead and the streets littered with unidentified corpses and wounded citizens after four days of attacks. The group appealed to the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations to "treat the injured and bury the martyrs."

Kofi Annan's Six-Point Peace Plan

• A Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people.
• A U.N.-supervised end to armed violence by all parties in Syria.
• Timely humanitarian assistance in all areas affected by fighting.
• Increasing the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily-detained people.
• Ensuring freedom of movement for journalists.
• Respecting freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully.

The violence continued a day after international envoy Kofi Annan said Syria had accepted his peace plan for a cease-fire and a dialogue between government and rebel forces. He had urged the Syrian government to implement the plan immediately.

Arab League foreign ministers expressed support for the Annan peace initiative at a meeting in Baghdad, where leaders of the regional bloc were expected to attend a summit on Thursday.

A draft resolution prepared by the ministers for the summit's approval calls on the Assad government to stop violent attacks on the opposition and allow peaceful protests.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Syria's implementation of Mr. Annan's plan is "more important than acceptance" and represents a "last chance" for the country to resolve its crisis peacefully.

A Syrian official said his government will reject any resolution passed by the Arab League on Syria. The bloc suspended Syria's membership last year to punish Damascus for continuing a deadly crackdown on an opposition uprising.

Western diplomats and Syrian opposition figures reacted skeptically to Syria's acceptance of the Annan proposals. Opposition members accused Mr. Assad of trying to stall for time as his troops make a renewed push to crush dissent.

In Washington, senior U.S. senators filed a resolution Wednesday condemning Syria's bloody violence and urging the arming of anti-government rebels. Senator John McCain presented the motion, co-sponsored by four other senators including Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman. The text condemns "the mass atrocities committed by the government of Syria and [supports] the right of the people of Syria to be safe and to defend themselves."

The non-binding resolution "supports calls by Arab leaders to provide the people of Syria with the means to defend themselves against Bashar al-Assad and his forces, including through the provision of weapons and other material support."

Meanwhile, several hundred exiled Syrian opposition figures ended a meeting in Istanbul on Wednesday by declaring the Syrian National Council to be the "formal interlocutor and formal representative of the Syrian people." Most participants signed on to the declaration. Some dissidents walked out of the talks on Tuesday, accusing the SNC of not listening to differing views about how to end decades of autocratic government in Syria.

The United Nations said Tuesday the number of people killed in Syria's crackdown has risen to more than 9,000, an increase of about 1,000 over the world body's previous estimate .

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

Join the conversation on our social journalism site - Middle East Voices . Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page.

Theo www.voanews.com

Vietnamese rowers advance to London 2012 Olympics

congtythietkeweb.edu.vn | central school |

PANO – Two Vietnamese rowers, Pham Thi Hai and Pham Thi Thao, earned a place at the upcoming London 2012 Olympics after performing successfully at the Asian Rowing Tournament.

At the final competition day of the Tournament, held in Chungju, the Republic of Korea from April 26 th to 29 th , the two rowers won bronze medal at the women's double scull event to gain a ticket to the Olympics.

At the 26 th SEA Games in Indonesia, Pham Thi Hai and Pham Thi Thao contributed two gold medals to the Vietnam Rowing team's achievements.

Up to this time, Vietnam has 12 athletes eligible for the London 2012 Olympics, namely Phan Thi Ha Thanh, Pham Phuoc Hung and Do Thi Ngan Thuong (gymnastics), Le Huynh Chau and Chu Hoang Dieu Linh (taekwondo), Van Ngoc Tu (judo), Hoang Xuan Vinh and Pham Hoang Ngoc (shooting), Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc (athletics), Nguyen Thi Lua (wrestling), and Pham Thi Hai and Pham Thi Thao (rowing).

This sets a record for Vietnam having the biggest number of athletes eligible for an Olympics.

Translated by Van Hieu

Theo en.baomoi.com

The Texas Tribune

2 Hinh nen dep | central school |

Cultivating Endorsements for That Rainy Day

By ROSS RAMSEY

Published: April 28, 2012

Ross Ramsey, the executive editor of The Texas Tribune, writes a column for The Tribune.

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Robert E Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune

Comptroller Susan Combs

Expanded coverage of Texas is produced by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit news organization. To join the conversation about this article, go to texastribune.org.

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Political endorsements say as much about the endorser as they do about the endorsee.

Helping someone in a tough race — or even appearing to lend support — is a basic form of political trading.

That's why Comptroller Susan Combs, Attorney General Greg Abbott, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples and Gov. Rick Perry have been so busy this spring. Ms. Combs and Mr. Staples each want to be the next lieutenant governor of Texas, assuming Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst wins the United States Senate race. Mr. Abbott is not so secretly angling for the governor's job, hoping ever so gently that Mr. Perry will move on when that post is on the ballot again in 2014.

Mr. Perry is trying to stay alive after appearing as a paper tiger in the presidential primaries. He looked great before that race, appealing to social conservatives, the Tea Party folks, fiscal conservatives and evangelicals. He's got a twang that's familiar in the Southern states dear to Republican officeseekers. Nice-looking guy, able to raise money. It all seemed just right on the drawing board.

Unfortunately for the governor, it didn't work anywhere else.

Now he's back, with a legislative session before him and a herd of lawmakers and lobbyists who suspect they're working with a lame duck. Mr. Perry is responding with the usual gambits. He let it be known that he's thinking about running for re-election. He publicly didn't rule out the idea of another presidential run in 2016. He presented candidates and officeholders with a "budget compact" — a set of promises against new taxes and spending and in favor of protecting the state's Rainy Day Fund. And he started handing out endorsements.

Mr. Perry's chosen candidates are interesting, and somewhat risky. He endorsed State Representative Wayne Christian, Republican of Center, traveling next month to Marshall — home of Mr. Christian's opponent, Chris Paddie — in a race where much of the political establishment is backing the challenger. That's the same set of political action committees and trade groups that have more or less fallen in line behind the governor for the last several years. To be fair, they were on Mr. Paddie's side before Mr. Perry put his arm around Mr. Christian.

Ms. Combs, trying to establish her bona fides with the party's conservatives as well as tending her statewide network for a future race, also endorsed Mr. Christian. The local state senator, Kevin Eltife, Republican of Tyler, endorsed Mr. Paddie.

Likewise, Mr. Perry and Ms. Combs endorsed Representative James White, Republican of Hillister, over Representative Mike Hamilton, Republican of Mauriceville. Mr. White is seen as the more conservative of the two, and the establishment is split.

It might work out for the endorsees, and it might not. For the endorsers, it usually doesn't matter.

Mr. Perry had been for Newt Gingrich in the presidential race, to no appreciable effect. That didn't really reach Texas voters, because both endorser and endorsee were out of the running well before the primary here.

Four years ago, Mr. Perry endorsed not John McCain, but Rudolph W. Giuliani.

He's not always with the losers. Like almost every Texas Republican politician with a pulse, Mr. Perry endorsed George W. Bush for president in 2000 and 2004. Unlike his more recent recommendations to voters, that one faded into the woodwork. To get noticed in those years, a Texas Republican had to endorse against the strongest political franchise in the state — a career move in the wrong direction.

Because the governor is trying to show some strength, he would like to get some wins this time. If he waddles into the next legislative session as a lame duck who couldn't attract voters to the benefit of beleaguered incumbents, why would the survivors fear him or follow him?

It's a rare case where endorsements could backfire. For Ms. Combs, Mr. Abbott, Mr. Staples and others, this isn't particularly risky. They're meeting local people without putting themselves in harm's way on the ballot, and the people who win with their help might be grateful — and helpful — later on, when this year's endorsers are looking for allies.

They'll be in the market for endorsements, and a new set of people will be in the market for favors — hoping for i.o.u.'s from the next governor, lieutenant governor or comptroller.

rramsey@texastribune.org

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: April 30, 2012

A previous version of this article stated incorrectly the candidate who is being endorsed by much of the political establishment in the race between State Representative Wayne Christian, Republican of Center, and Chris Paddie. They are endorsing the challenger, not the incumbent.

Theo www.nytimes.com

Ancient Sound Reimagined for Modern Times

tai nghe nao tot | central school |

Composer Jin Hi Kim"s instrument of choice is the komungo, a traditional Korean instrument which dates back to the 4th century.

Photo: VOA - L. Shavelson

Composer Jin Hi Kim blends traditional Korean komungo styles with Western music.

"Korean music is based on ritual, Shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, ritual," she says. "That means a very meditative energy."

Resembling a lute, the komungo is made of wood and is two meters long. In order to play it, you lay it on your lap and pluck its six strings with a thin bamboo reed.

The komungo remained a ritual instrument, through 1500 years on the Korean peninsula, until 1910 when Japan annexed Korea.

"The Japanese tried to destroy your identity, Korean identity, language and all the culture," Kim says. "Instead, the Japanese actually taught us Western tunes, Western music, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, on and on."

Japan surrendered control of Korea in 1945, at the end of World War ll. The Americans brought their music in 1950, when they arrived to support the Republic of Korea against the North. Thirty years later, when Kim began studying music at Seoul University, Korea was still obsessed with Western music.

Western-style orchestras, she says, paid musicians twice what traditional Korean orchestras did. "Korean music was despised by its own people. They worshipped Western music. I really didn't agree with that."

So she focused her attention and talent on the traditional komungo.

"And if I carried this komungo on the street, ordinary people would stop me and say, 'What is this?'" she remembers. "I said, 'Komungo.'"

Kim set out to win respect for traditional Korean music - both in Korea and the West. "I wanted to have Korean music and Western music treated equal," she says. "My mission was putting these two cultures together."

She brought the komungo to the United States where, for decades, she's been composing works that blend traditional komungo styles with Western music.

"Eternal Rock," one of her compositions, is about planet Earth as it flies through space. Kim performed the piece at Stanford University's Pan Asian Music Festival earlier this year.

"When I wrote "Eternal Rock," I tried to understand what actually Western scientists are thinking about this space at the moment," Kim says. "Because the Korean court music, especially, is based on cosmology. All relate to yin and yang. And as we know now, the universe, the gravity, is shifting and the dark energy pushing farther and farther, and the universe is extending."

With her modern arrangements for the ancient komungo, Kim continues to introduce the traditional instrument to new audiences around the world.

Theo www.voanews.com

Former British PM Urges Action in South Sudan

may tinh bang | central school |

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently launched an initiative calling on the international community to take urgent action to address education in South Sudan. In an exclusive VOA interview, he said the current situation is difficult and intense. But after years of war, he said, "Are we to say... that a child has to be denied the right to education through all their potential school years."

Brown also said that if the world gives up on education in South Sudan, then it will be "Letting down a whole generation and building up the seeds of discontent for the future and we should be very careful to avoid that."

The former prime minister pointed out there are already  67 million children worldwide who are not in school. And he said there is the potential for that number to increase by 2015. If he can play a part in helping out, he said, he will not hesitate because global action in education has been neglected, and the world's future depends on children being literate.

Theo www.voanews.com

Lawyers Request Diplomatic Immunity for Strauss-Kahn

Kinh Doanh | central school |

A New York State judge is considering whether to grant a motion of diplomatic immunity in a civil case filed against former International Monetary Fund Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn. A hotel maid who alleges he sexually assaulted her.

Bronx Supreme Court Judge Douglas McKeon heard arguments Wednesday by Strauss-Kahn lawyers that he is entitled to immunity by virtue of his former position, as well as international custom and law.  Attorney Amit Mehta made the assertion even though the United States did not sign a 1947 United Nations agreement that granted such immunity to the heads of specialized international agencies.

"Mr. Strauss-Kahn enjoyed the same kind of diplomatic immunity in process and suit that other high-ranking officials and diplomats enjoy and who are resident in this country - people like the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Russian Consul," the attorney noted.

A criminal case against Strauss-Kahn was dismissed last year because of questions about the veracity of his accuser, Nafissatou Diallo.  She worked as a hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault last May.  Diallo has now filed a civil suit.  Her lawyers argue that the defense motion is a desperate attempt to delay her day in court. They say diplomatic immunity is meant to protect institutions, not individuals, noting that neither the IMF nor the U.S. State Department invoked it on Strauss-Kahn's behalf.

"If he had immunity, then why didn't his lawyers say a single word about his immunity during the criminal case," attorney Kenneth Thompson argued.  "It does not make sense."

The hearing in New York comes amid fresh legal troubles for Dominique Strauss-Kahn in his native France.  He is facing charges there that he helped procure prostitutes for sexual orgies.  His lawyers refer to them as soirees that are not illegal under French law.  Attorney Richard Malka says his client strongly denies the pimping charge.

"Supposing even that he had known the status of the women in question, we have to remember that the fact of having relations with an escort would not be an infraction of French law and would be question of an entirely legitimate private matter between consenting adults," he said.

Diallo's attorneys say the proceedings in France will have no bearing on the civil case in New York.  Judge McKeon says he will try to expedite his decision about Strauss-Kahn's immunity.

Theo www.voanews.com

Syria forces storm rebel town despite peace pledge

ly huong | central school |

Syrian forces on Wednesday stormed a rebel bastion as UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged President Bashar al-Assad to "immediately" implement a six-point UN peace plan he reportedly accepted.

An image grab taken from a video uploaded on YouTube shows smoke billowing from reported shelling by Syrian forces on a residential area of Homs on March 26. AFP cannot independently verify this image. Photo: AFP

Syrian forces on Wednesday stormed a rebel bastion as UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged President Bashar al-Assad to "immediately" implement a six-point UN peace plan he reportedly accepted.

China and Russia also upped the pressure urging both their allySyria and the opposition to honour commitments to halt armed conflict, which has claimed thousands of lives since it first erupted in March last year.

Moscow strongly urged the Syrian opposition to "follow the example" of the Damascus regime in supporting the mediation efforts of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to stop the bloodshed.

And in Baghdad, Arab foreign ministers thrashed out a resolution on Syria to be debated at a landmark Arab League summit on Thursday, even as Damascus warned it would not abide by any of its initiatives.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian forces backed by tanks swept into the central Hama province town of Qalaat al-Madiq and nearby villages after dawn on Wednesday after a siege lasting more than two weeks.

"Heavy clashes between regime forces and armed rebels are preventing the army from advancing," the Britain-based monitoring group said. "Intense gunfire and explosions can be heard in nearby villages."

At least four civilians caught in the crossfire were killed while four soldiers and four rebels also died in the fighting, the Observatory said.

Qalaat al-Madiq, which the army has pounded for 17 straight days to root out rebels, is home to a historic castle that was shelled during the fighting, as seen in videos posted on YouTube.

Abu Ghazi, a local activist reached by Skype, told AFP in Beirut that members of the rebel Free Syrian Army had withdrawn from the area because of the regular army's superior firepower.

The offensive is part of the regime's efforts to overrun rebel strongholds as it tries to crush an unprecedented year-long revolt, which monitors say has killed almost 10,000 people. The UN say more than 9,000 have died.

Fierce clashes were also reported on Wednesday across the country, including in northwest Idlib province, central Homs and the southern province of Daraa, cradle of the year-long revolt, the Observatory said.

Political efforts to end the violence were in full gear on Wednesday as Arab foreign ministers prepared for the landmark summit in Iraq, which the UN chief was due to attend.

"I urge President al-Assad to put commitments into immediate effect. There is no time to waste," Ban said in Kuwait before travelling to Baghdad.

He expressed concern at the continued bloodshed but welcomed Syria's acceptance of a plan to end the violence put forward by Annan as an "important initial step" towards ending the bloodshed.

Ban said he would "meet key (Arab) leaders in Baghdad to discuss how the UN and Arab League states can work together in helping the joint special envoy's diplomatic efforts to get the six-point proposal implemented."

Annan said on Tuesday that Assad's government had accepted his plan, a move cautiously welcomed by Western nations.

The plan calls for a commitment to stop all armed violence, a daily two-hour humanitarian ceasefire and media access to all areas affected by the fighting in Syria.

The plan also calls for an inclusive Syrian-led political process, a right to demonstrate, and the release of people detained arbitrarily.

A copy of the draft resolution being debated by Arab foreign ministers in Baghdad urges the Syrian regime to "immediately stop all actions of violence and killing, protect Syrian civilians and guarantee the freedom of peaceful demonstrations for achieving demands of the Syrian people."

The text, obtained by AFP, also calls on the Syrian government and all opposition factions "to deal positively with the envoy (Annan) by starting serious national dialogue."

Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi said he expected Thursday's summit to support Annan's proposals.

But Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said Damascus will reject any initiative stemming from the Arab summit. "Syria will not cooperate with any Arab League initiative at any level," he said.

"Since its suspension from the Arab League, Syria has been dealing with member states on a bilateral level," he told AFP.

The 22-member pan-Arab body in November voted at an extraordinary meeting to suspend Syria until Assad implements an Arab deal to end the crackdown on dissent.

Western powers cautiously welcomed the statement by Annan's camp that Assad had accepted his peace plan.

"Given Assad's history of over-promising and under-delivering, that commitment (to Annan) must now be matched by immediate actions," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero was likewise sceptic.

"The Istanbul meeting will be an opportunity for the international community to assess whether the regime in Damascus is applying this plan or not, respecting its commitments or not, and ending the massacres it has carried out daily for more than a year or not," he said.

On Sunday, the Friends of Syria will gather in Istanbul for their second meeting since February in a bid to end the crisis, with the United States, France and numerous Arab countries due to attend.

Russia and China, which are both boycotting the event, have triggered international fury for vetoing two UN Security Council resolutions on Syria.

Theo en.baomoi.com

Observatory

game hay | international summer school |

How Immersion Helps to Learn a Language

By SINDYA N. BHANOO

Published: April 2, 2012

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Learning a foreign language is never easy, but contrary to common wisdom, it is possible for adults to process a language the same way a native speaker does. And over time, the processing improves even when the skill goes unused, researchers are reporting.

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Chris Gash

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For their study , in the journal PloS One, the scientists used an artificial language of 13 words, completely different from English. "It's totally impractical to follow someone to high proficiency because it takes years and years," said the lead author, Michael Ullman , a neuroscientist at Georgetown University Medical Center.

The language dealt with pieces and moves in a computer game, and the researchers tested proficiency by asking test subjects to play the game.

The subjects were split into two groups. One group studied the language in a formal classroom setting, while the other was trained through immersion.

After five months, both groups retained the language even though they had not used it at all, and both displayed brain processing similar to that of a native speaker. But the immersion group displayed the full brain patterns of a native speaker, Dr. Ullman said.

He and his team used a technique called electroencephalography, or EEG, which measures brain processing along the scalp.

The research has several applications, Dr. Ullman said.

"This should help us understand how foreign-language learners can achieve nativelike processing with increased practice," he said. "It makes sense that you'd want to have your brain process like a foreign speaker."

And though it may take time, and more research, the work "also could or should help in rehabilitation of people with traumatic brain injury ," he added.

Theo www.nytimes.com

US Official Says Missile Defense Will Not Impact Russia

nghe thuat | international summer school |

Political controversy has erupted in the United States after an open microphone at a nuclear security conference in South Korea caught U.S. President Barack Obama telling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he will have more "flexibility" after the U.S. election in November. On Friday, the top American arms control negotiator visited Moscow and gave the American outlook for arms control and missile defense.

Photo: AP

Rose Gottemoeller, Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security delivers a lecture to students at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) in Moscow, March 30, 2012.

Rose Gottemoeller, Washington's lead negotiator on arms control, told Russian students and reporters that the political controversy simply underlined President Obama's point. The American election season is a time for technical meetings, not political initiatives on arms control.

"I see the possibility for homework, as I call it, not only in missile defense cooperation, but in preparing the groundwork for new nuclear reduction negotiations as well. I am also here in Moscow to work on new conventional arms control initiatives," said Gottemoeller.

Gottemoeller recalled that Americans and Russians have 40 years of experience in negotiating arms control pacts. She said she is confident that the two countries, the world's largest nuclear powers, will find common ground on missile defense.

Russia is worried about Washington's plan to build a missile defense system to protect Europe from missiles launched from Iran. More from Gottemoeller, who is acting under secretary of state for arms control and international security:

"The technical capabilities of the system are simply not those that would undermine Russian strategic offensive forces," Gottemoeller added.

Washington's blueprint for missile defense calls for several land- and sea-based batteries that would knock down one or two missiles launched on a westward path from Iran. In contrast, Russia has about 3,000 rockets that are designed to hit the United States by flying north, over the North Pole.

"I consider it a very serious matter that my president has confirmed to your president - and will be willing to continue to do so - that this system is no threat to the Russian Federation or any of your military capabilities," Gottemoeller explained.

In the audience at Moscow State Institute of International Relations was Victor Mizin. Before joining the institute as deputy director, he worked on arms control as a Russian diplomat. He said that diplomats in both countries still have to work against the powerful legacy of the Cold War.

"There are still huge backlogs, I am afraid, of mutual suspicion, which still have not been overcome," said Mizin.

On May 7, Vladimir Putin will return to the Kremlin as president of Russia. A former KGB agent who once served in East Germany, Putin is often seen as a hardliner on relations with Washington.

But Mizin does not predict a major change in policy. He noted that Putin served for the last four years as Russia's prime minister, closely coordinating policies with President Medvedev. Under the current plan, the two men are to switch jobs, with Medvedev becoming prime minister in May.

"Probably it will be a little bit tougher, with a little bit more accent on Russian sovereignty, self-assertiveness," said Mizin on Putin's return to the Kremlin.

Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs magazine, believes that NATO will build a missile defense for Western Europe whether Moscow likes it or not.

"Any discussion about joint missile defense, which started 2010, officially still is a target. I don't believe it is any kind of real talk, it is just cover for, empty shell for, nothing," said Lukyanov.

He agrees that it will be impossible for the two countries to negotiate common ground during the heat of an American presidential campaign.

"This year, nothing will happen in missile defense area," Lukyanov added.

So everyone interviewed in Moscow said that for any movement in negotiations on missile defense and arms control, check back one year from now.

Theo www.voanews.com

In Massachusetts, Insurance Mandate Stirs Some Dissent

Toi tai gioi | central school |

BOSTON — Wayde Lodor is part of the 2 percent: the roughly 120,000 residents of Massachusetts who lack health insurance despite the state’s landmark 2006 law requiring almost every adult in the state to have it. He is likely to face a penalty this year, having made enough money under the state’s guidelines to afford a health plan. But Mr. Lodor, an independent product development consultant from Leominster, remains defiant.

Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times

Wayde Lodor has refused to buy the health insurance required under Massachusetts law.

By ABBY GOODNOUGH

Published: March 27, 2012

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• Graphic : Massachusetts Residents Who Don't Comply With the Health Coverage Mandate

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Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times

Ronn Garry Jr., a grocery store owner, faces penalties because too few of his employees have opted in.

"I’m in good shape, I don’t eat meat, I don’t drink excessively, I’ve never smoked," said Mr. Lodor, 53, who estimates he would have to spend at least $1,200 a month to cover himself and his college-age daughter. "The last thing I’m going to do is not pay my rent because I have to pay for some state-mandated health coverage that I don’t think I need."

As the Supreme Court hears arguments this week on the constitutionality of the national health care law and its requirement that most Americans be insured or pay a penalty, Massachusetts offers a real-world laboratory of how such a mandate might work.

Roughly 48,000 people in the state were subject to penalties for not having coverage in 2009, the latest year for which figures are available, down from 67,000 in 2007. The maximum penalties range from $228 to $1,212 a year, depending largely on income. (Anyone with an annual income of less than 150% of the federal poverty line pays no penalty.) The penalties are paid on state tax returns.

Massachusetts health officials say the shrinking number of violators is a sign that the law is succeeding. "I think the individual mandate in Massachusetts has been accepted by our population, understood, and broadly judged as fair," said Glen Shor, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, the state agency that helps residents find insurance coverage.

But for the relatively small universe of people who resist buying coverage, the mandate is a bitter pill. Teofilo Cuevas, 51, who earns about $40,000 a year as a meat cutter at a grocery store, said he had decided to drop his employer-provided coverage because even with insurance, he could not afford his out-of-pocket costs. He said he avoided going to the doctor.

"A lot of people cannot pay this," Mr. Cuevas, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, said through an interpreter.

For individuals facing penalties, who are often young, male and healthy, the state appears to have been generous in granting one-year waivers. From 2007 through 2010, the state approved 65 percent of the appeals filed by people who had been given penalties, or 7,163 out of 10,992, according to the Health Connector. State officials said appeals were granted based on proof of financial hardship, which might involve unemployment, a foreclosure or period of homelessness, or having to make the choice between paying for insurance or for heat and electricity.

"It’s a very humane and fair appeals process that gives people the opportunity to tell their story in full," Mr. Shor said.

But some small business owners also feel unfairly targeted by the law, which requires employers with the equivalent of 11 or more full-time employees to offer coverage or pay a penalty of $295 per employee. Mr. Cuevas’s employer, Ronn Garry Jr., owner of Tropical Foods, a grocery store in the Roxbury section of Boston, is facing nearly $30,000 in penalties because not enough of his 70 employees signed up for his employer-provided plan over an 18-month period, he said. "It’s frustrating," Mr. Garry said of the law, "because I support it but I also feel victimized by it."

He added, "Most people want to have coverage but they have to make dollars-and-cents decisions."

Over all, 4.6 percent of the employers who are required to offer coverage, or about 1,000, were penalized for noncompliance in 2010, according to the state. The state’s Division of Unemployment Assistance enforces the rule; compliance improved to about 95 percent from about 88 percent from 2007 to 2010. Money from the penalties helps offset the cost of state-subsidized health insurance.

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