In the news on Wednesday:
The French government is seriously considering a ban on smoking in public places–including restaurants and bars–to take effect as early as next year. Some French seem resigned to it, others are annoyed that they won’t be able to continue their unbridled support for large, greedy, American tobacco corporations. (Je deteste le capitalisme américain, mais j’aime bien les Marlboros!) Weird statistic: According to the article, 35% of the French population uses tobacco. I have no idea where they got such a ridiculously low number. What was their sample base? Kindergartens? Scuba divers? People living in a pure oxygen environment? I just got back from one month in France and let me tell you: France is Europe’s smoking section. It’s like Reno but with fewer gun shops.
From Wednesday’s NYT comes more details about the current crackdown on corruption including the prominent role played by Zeng Qinghong who has emerged as one of Hu’s best hatchet men. “The investigation, the largest of its kind since China first pursued market-style changes to its economy more than a quarter-century ago, was planned and supervised by Zeng Qinghong, China’s vice president and the day-to-day manager of Communist Party affairs, people