rare bird

This is an excellent analysis of where the situation currently stands, with an eye towards the end. It also appreciates the supreme power of the president in Ukrainian politics and that defying him is a long hard slog. I wish more members of the western press, not to mention western politicians, understood the situation this well.

This was written by the BBC on Nov. 25: The political crisis in Ukraine looks as though it will head towards one of three outcomes. 1: The government candidate for president, Viktor Yanukovich (who has been declared the election winner) will back down in the face of large scale protests and accusations of fraud. 2: The opposition supporters, who've been on the streets to back their man, Viktor Yushchenko, will grow tired and dispirited and will melt away. 3: There will be a violent confrontation. Mr Yushchenko is certainly trying to keep up the pressure. He's called for a general strike starting today. The extent to which that strike call is heeded and could well give us a clue as to how things will unfold. From Kiev here's our correspondent, Sarah Rainsford. First Broadcast 25th November 2004 #1 has not happened, but if the Supreme Court declares the election invalid it won't matter. The question is whether or not Pres. Kuchma will back d...

Scientists from the RAND Corporation have created this model to illustrate how a "home computer" could look like in the year 2004. However the needed technology will not be economically feasible for the average home. Also the scientists readily admit that the computer will require not yet invented technology to actually work, but 50 years from now scientific progress is expected to solve those problems. With teletype interface and the FORTRAN language, the computer will be easy to use. If this is any guide, it suggests that our predictions for 2054 have to take into account that computers then will be a lot smaller, even more affordable, and use more technology that hasn't yet been invented!