UEL     

THE TIME 100

QUEEN ELIZABETH II

(By Catherine Mayer)

Helen Mirren may have scooped an Oscar for her portrayal of the Queen, head of state of Britain and 15 Commonwealth countries, but it is Elizabeth Windsor who continues to define the role. It was thrust upon her in 1952 by the premature death of her father, and she has not left the stage since. Yet unlike the celebrities and politicians with whom she regularly exchanges pleasantries, the most famous woman in the world has never given an interview.

That reserve was interpreted as indifference in the turbulent months after Princess Diana died, when Britons contemplated burying their monarchy. A decade later the institution is solid, thanks largely to Elizabeth’s steady hand. At 84, Her Majesty is still cutting ribbons, greeting dignitaries and making speeches in a voice that has resisted the temptation to seek acceptance through reinvention. That’s the secret of the Queen’s success: she understands the need for reforms, such as slimming the costs of her family to the taxpayer and opening her accounts to public scrutiny, but she has never compromised her identity. However, Iike her beloved corgis and dorgis (a dachshund cross), she occasionally slips the Ieash, says her second son, Prince Andrew. Once, on a walk, she encountered one of her subjects, who exclaimed, “You Look just Iike the Queen!” “How very reassuring,” Her Majesty replied. Many Britons feel the same  way.

LEARNING AND EARNING

New data demonstrate how graduates can expect earn much more than non-graduates, by sex and by country.

A SPELL at university offers more than the chance to indulge in a few years of debauchery. But precisely how rewarding, financially, is completing your degree? A new report from the OECD, a rich-country think-tank, attempts to measure how much more graduates can expect to earn compared with those who seek jobs without similar qualifications. In America the lifetime gross earnings of male graduates are, on average, nearly $370,000 higher than those of non-graduates, comfortably repaying the pricey investment in a university education. Female graduates earn an extra $229,000, the lower rate perhaps because women are more likely to drop out of the workforce to look after children.

On average it pays well to study: across the OECD countries studied a man can expect to make an additional $186,500 in his lifetime if he has a degree. In som places , such as South Korea and Spain, the data show that female graduates pull in more than their male counterparts. In turkey, graduates' additional wages are more modest and the financial advantages of men over women are less pronounced.

                                                                 (See and other daily charts at:

                                                                                   Economist.com/dailychart)

           UFSCAR

     AT THE WORK

FALSE FRIENDS

In the morning I attended a meeting between management and union representatives.

The discussion was very comprehensive, covering topics like working hours, days off, retirement age, etc. Both sides were interested in an agreement and ready to compromise. The secretary recorded everything in the notes. Eventually, they decided to set a new meeting to sign the final draft of the agreement.

Back at the office, a colleague of mine asked me if I had realized that the proposed agreement would be partially against the company policy not to accept workers that have already retired. I pretended to be really busy and late for an appointment, and left for the cafeteria. Actually, I didn’t want to discuss the matter at that particular moment because there were some strangers in the office.

After lunch I attended a lecture given by the mayor, who is an expert in tax legislation and has a graduate degree in Political Science. He said his government intends to assist welfare programs and senior citizens, raise funds to improve college education and build a public library, and establish tougher limits on vehicle emissions because he assumes this is what people expect from the government.

(Schütz kanamata)

BILINGUALISM

   BILINGUALISM

         Residents of the European Union (EU) are becoming better and better at languages. Almost 50 percent of the EU population say they can speak at least one foreign language very well. That figure rises to nearly 80 percent for students. To celebrate its linguistic diversity, September 26 has become the official European Day of Languages. The day’s website shows a Slovak proverb that says: “The number of languages you speak is the number of times you are human”. This is to encourage all Europeans to brush up on their language skills. The website predicts that Europe's young generation "will fully contribute to enriching Europe's multilingual society".

        

         The results of the “Eurobarometer” survey put Luxembourgers at the top of the language ability list. An amazing 99 percent of Luxembourg’s population is at least bilingual. Those with the poorest language skills are the Hungarians (29 percent) and British (30 percent). They survey also shows that English is the most widely spoken foreign language, used by more than a third of the population. It is followed by German (12 percent), which has for the first time usurped French (11 percent) for the second spot. European enlargement to incorporate former communist countries has elevated Russian to fourth place - tied with Spanish. The EU spends $36 million a year on language programs.

DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS ON THEIR WAY

                        DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS ON THEIR WAY

            Traditional and digital news media might soon merge to produce daily newspapers on iPads. This is if the plans of Apple owner Steve Jobs and newspaper mogul Rupert Murdoch come to fruition. Industry rumours say the new newspaper will be called “The Daily”. There might even be a name to replace newspaper, as the new project will, of course, be paperless. There will be no print edition or even a Web edition of this new media. It will download straight to the iPad or alternative tablet for an unbeatable price of 99 cents a week. Messrs Jobs and Murdoch maybe onto a winning thing here. The Apple boss has the technology to be able to deliver digital news and Mr Murdoch owns the world’s biggest news corporation. They also both have a knack of knowing what people want.

            There are reports that Murdoch is particularly interested in the iPad and how popular it is. He told Fox Business this week that The Daily was his “Number one most exciting project.” He seems to believe people will prefer to read the news on such a device rather than a traditional broadsheet newspaper. There are advantages of the tablet over a paper, such as the lack of origami-style gymnastics required to turn a page on a crowded train, or avoid the corner getting soaked in milk at the breakfast table. Other more obvious benefits to an iPad include the higher level of interactivity the user has with the news. Another advantage for Mr Murdoch and his News Corporation is that he could increase revenues by selling apps designed specifically for the iPad.

DRIVEN BY CARS

   DRIVEN BY CARS

         It's 2050 and one American passion has withstood the test of time: we like to drive. You decide to hit the road. First, you unplug your car from your house. That's right - your car's fuel cells (those hydrogen-powered devices) turn out enough electricy for your home and your car.

         You settle into the driver's seat and grasp the joystick (steering wheels and pedals are history). All movements of the car - accelerating, turning, braking - are controlled by a joystick familiar to anyone brought up on computer games. You drive in traffic with absolute confidence. Your car is programmed with radar to sense a crash before it happens and activate the brakers.

        

         An alarm sounds. The sensor in the instrument panel has checked the pupils of your eyes and decided you are getting sleepy. You pull over into the "sleep lane". You lay a route on your satellite-guided navigation system, switch the autopilot on and climb into the back seat for a sleep. The car, reading computer chips in the road, takes over the driving.

         This is not science fiction. Automakers are spending billions researching all these futuristic features. General Motors has tried out an "intelligent highway" in California that allows cars to drive on autopilot. Daimler Chrysler fits prototype cars with joystick and many drivers operate them better than steering wheels. Every carmaker is rushing to replace the internal combustion engine with fuel cells. Satellite navigation systems are already on the road. Soon your car will be driving you.

 

GREENLAND SELF-RULE

GREENLAND SELF-RULE

            Greenland has been marking a step towards independence from Denmark, its ruler for 300 years. Ceremonies have been taking place to mark the start the start of self-rule, approved by voters in a referendum last year.

            Queen Margarethe of Denmark and the prime minister made the long trip from Copenhagen to attend the ceremonies in the capital, Nuuk.

            Cannons were fired out to sea after the raising of Greenland´s simple red and White national flag.

            Self-rule will mean Greenlanders earn more from the riches lying under their melting ice fields and surrounding ocean, including oil, minerals and precious stone, but the large subsidies provided by denmark are expected to be reduced.

            The newly elected Prime Minister, Jakob Kuupik Kleist, said self-rule was na important achievement for a small community. Greenland, He said, was now accepted as a nation alongside others. The local government will take on responsibility for policing and justice and the Inuit Greenlandic becomes the official language, but Denmark keeps control over defense, foreign and monetary policy.

                                                                       (Sean Fanning, BBC)