Look Who's Down and Who's Up

Supplemento al numero odierno de la Repubblica Sped. abb. postale art. 1 legge 46/04 del 27/02/2004 — Roma

Look Who’s Down And Who’s Up

LALO DE ALMEIDA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; LEFT, TONY CENICOLA/THE NEW YORK TIMES The news has been grim in the financial world, with up to 65,000 jobs lost. But in places like Brazil, above, consumers are borrowing and spending freely. LosingaJob,andSocialStatus

By JAN HOFFMAN inquisitive family members at barbecues. Theneighbor,ajovial presence at the school bus Forsomany,theloneliness is palpable.“I stop in the mornings, disappeared for a while last stopped getting together with colleagues from the fall. Nobody saw him for weeks. Finally he began office,”saidaManhattanmanwhohadworkedfor to venture out —atafternoonpickup, in jeans nearlytwodecadesinsalesandtradingforalarge and a T-shirt.A senior manager of a technology investment bank and was laid off in January. department,hehadbeenlaidoff.Neighborsdidn’t Hisofficefriendscouldofferlittlesolace,he know what to say to him. said.Theyarepreoccupiedwiththeirownanxious Acrossthesoccerfieldsofsuburbia,conversa- limbo. Still trying to slough off his anger, he said: tions are stilted these days; the bravado has a tin- “I see less of my closest friends in these past three ny ring, the gallows humor is more prevalent, the or four months. Everyone I know works.” deft change of topic more abrupt.As classes let out American companies have shed 240,000 jobs in at a city school, a normally chatty woman, whose the first three months of the year, according to the banker husband was recently escorted out of his federalBureauofLabor Statistics.Business-pa ge office building, rushes in, sweeps up her child and headlines announce layoffs by the thousands at dashes off, avoiding glances. majorAmericancorporations:2,000atAOL,5,000 The newly jobless are learning an ungainly new at Morgan Stanley, 4,000 at Merrill Lynch. language: How to explain their situation to other Despite thepervasivenessofthecuts, many parents. Howtoconveynonchalanceduringpaus- es in the golf-club locker rooms.Howtofendoff Continued on Page IV

Boom Inspires Confidence in Brazil

By ANDREW DOWNIE ingfastastheU.S.is,inourview,already in reces- SÃOPAULO,Brazil—Thankstoanewfound sion.’’ economic stability and vitality, here and in much Brazilisdoingwellthankstoacombinationof of the region, Latin America is looking less depen- factors.High commodity prices, pushed by de- dent on the fortunes of the United States. mand from China, have brought in hard currency WhileAmericanconsumersarecuttingback, and created jobs. Brazilians are spending like there’s no word in Foreigninvestmentlastyeardoubled,to$34.6 Portuguese for recession. billion, much of it into the stock market, which is Middle-class Americans are surrounded by a one of the fastest growing in the world.The curren- rising tide of angst; Brazil’s middle class is grow- cy is strong, hitting a nine-year high against the ing. dollar recently, and will likely strengthen further Even some creditworthy Americans cannot find given Standard & Poor’s recent decision to raise amortgage;Braziliansaretakingout loans like Brazil’s investment grade. never before. Inflation, which ended 2007 at 4.5 percent, is “It used to be that when the U.S. sneezes, Brazil under control and the economy has grown consis- catches pneumonia, but that is no longer the case,’’ tently, if not spectacularly, thanks to the compe- said Marcelo Carvalho, executive director of re- tent management of President Luiz Inácio Lula da search at Morgan Stanley in Brazil. Silva.Hisfar-reachingassistanceprogramhas “There is hard decoupling taking place,’’ Mr. Carvalho said.“The Brazilian economy is grow- Continued on Page IV

PUBBLICITÁ The Dutch Love Soccer, but Take a Swing at Baseball

By JOHN TAGLIABUE tioninWorldWarII,whenDutchchildren Kingsale grew up playing ball in his na- ROTTERDAM,theNetherlands—If turned to American baseball in defiance tive Aruba, but in 1996, at 19, he joined the you want to know about honkbal, Robert of the German occupiers. Baltimore Orioles organization, and later Eenhoorn is the man to ask.Honkbal is Most Dutch baseball teams were start- went on to Seattle and San Diego, for 211 theDutchwordforbaseball,andMr.Een- ed by soccer clubs in search of a sport for major league games. hoorn, besides being a former player for the months between soccer seasons. Mr. “We sent five guys to the major leagues the New York Yankees, coaches the Dutch Eenhoorn said his own years as a soccer insixorsevenyears,onanislandwithnot national team. player improved his baseball game.“As even 100,000 people,” Mr.Kingsale, 31, Mr.Eenhoorn,40,startedplayingball an infielder,” he said, “I was always a good said, taking a break from a practice ses- at Neptunus, the club outside this port defensiveplayer,becauseIplayedsoccer, sion.In 2004, he was knighted by Queen city,beforeplaying37gamesintheAmer- where footwork is important.” Beatrixwithtwoothermajorleagueplay- ican major leagues. And the Dutch team Ofcourse,theDutchhavetocontend ers from Aruba, Calvin Maduro and Sid- he coaches was the only one in Europe with a rainy climate, which is not condu- ney Ponson. chosen to compete in the Summer Olym- cive to baseball.“Sometimes you wait Still, the Dutch baseball federation, pics in Beijing. tilltherainstops,”saidPimvanNes,a with its 30,000 members, cannot compete Asked what Dutch youngsters like retired diplomat and part-time sports- with soccer, whose federation boasts 1.5 about baseball, Mr. Eenhoorn said: “It’s writer.“But in Holland, sometimes the million. American; it’s a summer sport, filling rain never stops.” Tim Roodenburg, a 19-year-old pitcher the gap left by soccer in spring and early In 2007, five Dutch nationals were play- with Sparta Feyenoord who got a tryout summer. You know, we did research and ing in Major League Baseball in the Unit- with the Yankees last year at a camp in foundthatkidslikebaseball,theylike ed States, among a total 250 foreign play- the Dominican Republic, can attest to the hitting the ball with the bat, they like the ers, according to the Baseball Almanac. gap. clothing. I don’t think it’s peaked.” SomeofthebestDutchplayersare “I’veseenitonthestreet,”hesaid. His father played ball, he said, recall- from Dutch territories in the Caribbean, “Kidswilltakeasoftball,dropitonthe ing the years under the German occupa- like the Netherlands Antilles.Eugene ground, then kick it.”

Mexico’s Deadly Drug War Needs Ice, Oysters and Love Police officers are being killed in the fight Smart, musical and social, walruses face a against the drug cartels. WORLD TRENDS III new threat. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY VI

Repubblica NewYork II MONDAY, JUNE2,2008

OPINION & COMMENTARY

EDITORIALS OF THE TIMES NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Where Breathing Can Be Deadly The Failures BADUI, China China’s biggest health disaster isn’t the recent terrible Sichuan earthquake. Of Mr. Mbeki It’s the air. Thequakekilledatleast60,000peo- ple, generating a response that has been Dangerous theories on AIDS. Ex- Mandela, South Africa was swiftly heartwarming and inspiring, with even treme and widening levels of income emergingastherespectedleaderof schoolchildren in China donating to the inequality. Enabling Zimbabwe’s a proud, postcolonial Africa. victims.Yetwithlittlenotice,somewhere Robert Mugabe and only belatedly UnderMr.Mbeki’sleadership, between 300,000 and 400,000 Chinese trying to halt mob atrocities against thefruitsofthenation’shard-fought die prematurely every year from the ef- desperate Zimbabwean and other victoryoverapartheidhavegone fects of outdoor air pollution, according African immigrants. This is the mainly to officials and former offi- to studies by Chinese and international legacy of South Africa’s president, cialsoftherulingAfricanNational agencies alike. Thabo Mbeki, who has one more Congress, not to the millions of poor Inshort,roughlyasmanyChinese year in his second term. people in the townships who faced dieeverytwomonthsfromtheairas It would be hard to imagine a down the dogs, the bullets and the were killed in theearthquake.Andthe more depressing contrast with the pass laws and still must live without problem is becoming international: just leadership of Nelson Mandela, Mr. adequate jobs, education, housing as Californians can find Chinese-made Mbeki’spredecessorandoneofthe or health services. shoes in their stores, they can now find 20th century’s great heroes. The resulting frustration and an- Chinese-made haze in their skies. History will laud Mr. Mandela ger helps explain, though it cannot Thissummer’sBeijingOlympicswill NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF/THE NEW YORK TIMES forleadinghiscountry,peacefully, justify,therecentoutbreakofxeno- showcase the most remarkable econom- China’s pollution is linked to mental retardation and birth defects. from hateful apartheid to demo- phobic violence in the shantytowns. ic explosion in history, and also some A 6-year-old girl, center, is the size of a 2-year-old. craticmajorityrule,marvelathis At least 42 victims have been killed of the world’s thickest pollution in both commitment to honesty and heal- — many beaten, stabbed, hacked air and water. So I’ve returned to the ingandcelebratehispromotion of or burned to death — andsome Yellow River in western China’s Gansu Pacific and descend on America’s West whenthelakefilledwithtoxinslastsum- SouthAfricaasadiverseandtoler- 25,000 have been chased from their Province to an isolated village that has Coast.TheimpactonAmericanhealth mer — shortly after the authorities had ant “rainbow nation.” homes. haunted me since I saw it a decade ago. is uncertain. sentenced him to three years in prison. IfitremembersMr.Mbekiatall, Mr. Mbeki’s most likely succes- Badui is known locally as the “village In fairness, China has been better Here in Badui, the picture is as com- it will be for appointing a health sor, Jacob Zuma, the current leader of dunces.” That’s because of the large than most other countries in curbing pol- plex as China’s development itself. The minister who favored garlic and of the A.N.C., is no Nelson Mandela number of mentally retarded people lution, paying attention to the environ- government has taken action since my beet root as treatment for South either. While more popular among here, as well as the profusion of birth ment at a much earlier stage of develop- previous visit: the factory supposedly Africa’s more than five million citi- the poor than the arrogant and defects, skin rashes and physical defor- ment than the United States, Europe or is no longer dumping pollutants, and the zens infected withH.I.V.,thevirus aloof Mr. Mbeki,hehasofferedfew mities. Residents are sure that the prob- Japan. Most impressive, in 2004, China villages have been supplied with water that causes AIDS, and for his stub- coherent ideas for addressing their lems result from a nearby fertilizer fac- embraced tighter fuel economy stan- that, intheory,ispure.Thevillagers born refusal to use South Africa’s economic plight. He has been more tory dumping effluent that taints their dardsthantheBushadministrationwas don’t entirely believe this, but they ac- economic and political clout to stop willing to criticize Mr. Mugabe’s drinking water. willing to accept at the time. knowledge that their health problems Zimbabwe’s horrors. electoral manipulations, but overly “Even if you’re afraid, youhaveto ThecityofShanghaicharges up to have diminished. Instead, Mr. Mbeki declared that cautious in proposing solutions drink,” said Zhou Genger, the mother of $7,000 for a license plate,thusreducing Moreover, economic development has therewas“nocrisis,”evenasZim- (thoughthatisMr.Mbeki’sjob,not a15-year-oldgirlwhoismentallyretard- thenumberofnewvehicles,andChina reached Badui. It is still poor, with a per- babwe’s electoral count was being his).HisignoranceonAIDSand ed and has a hunchback. The girl, Kong has planted millions of trees and dras- capita income of $100 a year, but there is hijacked,oppositionsupporterster- appalling attitudestowardwomen Dongmei, mumbled unintelligibly, and tically expanded the use of natural gas now a rough dirt road to the village. On rorized and thousands of its citizens —revealedina2006rapetrialthat Ms.Zhousaidshehadneverbeenableto to reduce emissions. If you look at what my last visit, there was only a footpath. fleeing over the border to South Af- endedinhisacquittal—stainedhis speak clearly. China’s leaders are doing, you wish that Theroadhasincreasedeconomicop- rica,wheretheystillhavenotfound personal reputation. Serious cor- Ms. Zhou pulled up the back of her President Bush were half as green. portunities. Farmers have dug ponds to safety. The only explanation is his ruptionchargesagainsthimare daughter’s shirt, revealing a twisted, ButthenyoupeerintotheChinese raisefishthataretruckedtothemarkets, misplaced loyalty to Mr. Mugabe, still pending. disfiguring mass of bones. haze — and despair. The economic boom but the fishareraisedinwatertakenfrom whowasonceaheroforleading SouthAfricacanillaffordanother A 10-year-old neighbor girl named is raising living standards substantially the Yellow River just below the fertilizer Zimbabwe to majority rule. fiveyearsoffailedleadershipand Hong Xia watched, her eyes filled with inmanyways,butthetolloftheresult- factory. When I looked in one pond, the South Africa is the richest, most frustrated hopes. Whoever suc- wonder at my camera. The neighbors ingpollutioncanbebrutal.Thefilthis firstthingIsawwasadeadfish. developedcountrysouthofthe ceedsMr.Mbekimustlooklongand say she, too, is retarded. prompting public protests, but the gov- “Weeatthefishourselves,”saidthevil- Sahara and the continent’s larg- hard at all that has gone wrong and None of this is surprising: rural China ernment has tightly curbed the civil so- lageleader,LiYuntang.“We worry about est, most exemplary democracy. vowtodobetter.SouthAfricansand is full of “cancer villages” caused by pol- ciety organizations that could help moni- thechemicals,butwehavetoeat.” Africa badly needs its enlightened allofAfricaneedanddeservebet- lution from factories. Beijing’s air some- tor pollution and keep it in check. Now those fish from this dubious water leadership. A decade ago, under Mr. ter. times has a particulate concentration An environmental activist named Wu are sold to unsuspecting residents in the that is four times the level considered Lihong warned for years that Lake Tai, city of Lanzhou. And the complexities safe by the World Health Organization. China’s third-largest freshwater lake, and ambiguities about that progress of- Scientists have tracked clouds of wasendangeredbychemicalfactories ferawindowintotheshadingsofChina’s Chávez’s Unsavory Friends Chinesepollutionastheydriftoverthe along its banks. Mr. Wu was proved right economic boom.

PresidentHugoChávezofVen- ledtotheseizureofFARCfundsin ezuela hasbeencaught.Despite Costa Rica. DAVID BROOKS his protestations of innocence, Colombia can now take the issue Interpol has corroborated the au- to the Organization of American thenticity of thousands of computer States, the United Nations Security Why Geek Is Newly Chic files captured during a Colombian CouncilortheInternationalCourt Army raid on a FARC rebel camp of Justice. But it might need further inVenezuela.Onlyasmallshareof corroborating evidence, as Interpol In 1950, Dr. Seuss published a chil- prestige. The information revolution They can visit eclectic sites like thistrovehasbeenreleased,butit only certified that the Colombian dren’s book called “If I Ran the Zoo.’’ produced a parade of highly confident Kottke.organdCoolHunting,experi- leaves little doubt that Venezuela government did not tamper with It contained the sentence: “I’ll sail to nerd moguls: Bill Gates and Paul Allen, ment with fonts, admire Stewart Brand hasbeenaidingtheguerrillas’ef- the files but said nothing about the Ka-Troo, and bring back an IT-KUTCH, Larry Page and Sergey Brin and so on. and Lawrence Lessig and join social- fort to overthrow Colombia’s demo- veracity of their content. aPREEP,andaPROO,aNERKLE,a Among adults, the words “geek” and networking communities with ironical cratically elected government. Mr. Chávez has amoreimportant NERD, and a SEERSUCKER, too!” “nerd” exchanged status positions. A names. They’ve created a new definition The Colombian government re- choice to make: he can sink into the According to the psychologist David nerd was still socially tainted, but geek- of whatitmeanstobecool,adefinition leased documents from the com- roleofregionalpariah,tobecon- Anderegg, that’s believed to be the first domacquireditsowncoolcountercul- that leaves out the talents of the jocks, puters that suggest Venezuelan tained or isolated in the name of printed use of the word “nerd” in modern ture. A geek possessed a certain passion the M.B.A.-types and the less educated. intelligence officials tried to secure regional stability, or he can commit English. forspecializedknowledge,butalsoa In “The Laws of Cool,” Alan Liu writes: weapons for the FARC and that Mr. to becoming a responsible neighbor. Thenextyear,Newsweeknoticedthat high degree of cultural awareness and “Cool is a feeling for information.” When Chávez’s government offered the All of his neighbors, and all Venezu- nerd was being used in Detroit as a sub- poise that a nerd lacked. someone has that dexterity, you know it. rebelsoilanda$250millionloan. elans,shouldurgehimtochoosethe stitutefor“square,”oruncool.But, as Geeks distinguished themselves from Tina Fey, the actress and television Information in the files has already latter course. Anderegg writes in his book, “Nerds,” alienated and self-pitying outsiders who writerwhooncewasonthecover of Responsibility means that Mr. thetermdidn’treallyblossomontomass wept with recognition when they read Geek Monthly magazine, has emerged Chávez must halt all aid to the consciousness until itwasusedonapop- “Catcher in the Rye.” If Holden Caulfield asasymbolofthegeek who grows into FARC,whichlongagochosedrug ular TV comedy, “Happy Days,’’ in the a swan. There is now a cool geek fashion trafficking over political liberation, 1970s.Andthusbeganwhatyoumight style, which can be found on shopping and use his influence to get the reb- call the ascent of nerdism in modern sites all over the Web (think Japanese elstolaydowntheirarmsandjoin America. sneakers and text-laden T-shirts). Sch- the demobilization process that Atfirst,anerdwasageekwithbet- George Bush’s disdain for winn now makes a retro-looking Sid/ Direttore responsabile: Ezio Mauro Vicedirettori: Mauro Bene, is under way for Colombia’s right- ter grades. The word described a high intellectuals has helped Nancy bicycle, which is sweet and clunky Gregorio Botta, Dario Cresto-Dina wing paramilitary groups. school or college outcast who was per- even though it has a faux-angry name. Massimo Giannini, Angelo Rinaldi Mr.Chávez’sposturingasapopu- secuted by athletes, fraternity boys and energize the geek sector. Therearenowmillionsofeducated-class Caporedattore centrale: Angelo Aquaro list liberator is becoming tiresome sorority sisters. Nerds had their own he- types guided by geek manners. Caporedattore vicario: Fabio Bogo Gruppo Editoriale l’Espresso S.p.A. at home, where voters defeated roes(StanLeeofcomicbookfame),their The news that being a geek is cool has • hisproposaltooverhaultheCon- ownvocations(Dungeons&Dragons), apparently not permeated either junior Presidente onorario: Carlo Caracciolo stitutionsohecouldstayinpower their own religion (supplied by George high schools or the Republican Party. Presidente: Carlo De Benedetti indefinitely.Itisalsowearingthin Lucas and “Star Wars”) and their own wasthesensitivelonerfromtheageof George Bush plays an interesting role in Consigliere delegato: Marco Benedetto Divisione la Repubblica abroad,whereMr.Chávezhasused skills (tech support). nerd oppression, then Harry Potter was the tale of nerd ascent. With his disdain viaCristoforoColombo90- 00147Roma Venezuela’s oil riches to meddle in Butevenas“RevengeoftheNerds” themagicalleaderintheageofgeekem- forintellectualthings,he’senergized Direttore generale: Carlo Ottino Argentina, Bolivia and Nicaragua, was gracing American movie screens, powerment. andalienatedtheentiregeekcohort,and Responsabile trattamento dati (d. lgs. among others. a different version of nerd-dom was per- ButthebiggestchangewasnotSilicon with it most college-educated Ameri- 30/6/2003n.196):EzioMauro Reg.Trib.diRoman.16064del Latin America’s leaders need to colating through popular culture. Elvis Valleyitself.Rather,thenewtechnology cans under 30. Newly militant, geeks 13/10/1975 realize that his actions threaten the CostelloandTheTalkingHeads’sDa- created a range of mental playgrounds are more coherent and active than they Tipografia: Rotocolor, stability of the entire region and that vid Byrne popularized a cool geek style where the new geeks could display their might otherwise be. v. C. Colombo 90 RM cheap oil does not lessen that threat. that’s led to Moby and Weezer and even culturalcapital.Theathletecanshineon People in the 1950s used to earnestly Stampa:Rotocolor,v.C.Cavallari 186/192 Roma; Rotonord, v. N. Sauro They need to remind Mr. Chávez of self-styled “nerdcore” rock and geeksta the football field, but the geeks can dis- debate the role of the intellectual in 15-PadernoDugnanoMI;Finegil thecommitmenttononintervention rappers. play their supple sensibilities and well- modern politics. But the Lionel Trilling Editoriale c/o Citem Soc. Coop. arl, anddemocraticruleintheOrgani- Thefuturehistoriansofthenerdas- modulated emotions on their Facebook authority-figure has been displaced by v.G.F.Lucchini-Mantova zation of American States charter. cendancy will likely note that the great pages, blogs, text messages and Twitter themassclassofblog-writingculture Pubblicità:A.Manzoni&C., via Nervesa 21 - Milano - 02.57494801 Andtheyneedtomakeclearthathe empowerment phase began in the 1980s feeds. Now there are armies of design- producers. • hasonlytwopossiblemovesfrom withtheriseofMicrosoftandthedigi- ers, researchers, media mavens and So, in a relatively short period of time, Supplementoacuradi:AlixVanBuren, here:hecanbecomearesponsible tal economy. Nerds began making large otherculturalproducerswithatalentfor the social structure has flipped. For as it Francesco Malgaroli neighbor or be ostracized in the amountsofmoneyandacquiredeco- whimsical self-mockery, arcane social is written, the last shall be first and the hemisphere. nomiccredibility,theseedbedofsocial references and late-night analysis. geek shall inherit the earth.

Repubblica NewYork MONDAY,JUNE2,2008 III

WORLD TRENDS

to the president. Police Become the Victims in Mexico’s War on Drugs Mr. Herrera maintains that the federal police have very little hard evidence from under- By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. Genaro García Luna, have upset been closely vetted for signs of Whenhetookoffice,President tionary Party. Some police com- cover officers, wiretaps or sur- The assassination was an in- longstanding arrangements be- corruption. Calderón merged the investiga- manderssaycorruptofficers veillance. “They don’t have any side job. The federal police com- tweenthepoliceanddrugtraf- The government has raised tive agency with the existing arelessofaproblemthanthe good intelligence gathering,’’ he mander kept his schedule secret fickers at every level of govern- the starting pay for officers federal police force. lack of information about drug said. “We were patrolling with- andsleptinadifferentplace ment, several experts on crime and greatly improved training. Atthesametime,Mr.Calde- dealers. Commissioner Javier out any direction. ’’ each night, yet the killer had the in Mexico said. Butevenwithabout3,000new rón and his predecessor have Herrera Valles oversaw Presi- Mr. Calderón and his top se- keys to the official’s apartment Last year, Mr. García Luna recruits, the Calderón adminis- largely dismantled the state dentCalderón’seffortstore- curity officials disagree. They andwaswaitingforhimwhenhe removed 284 federal police com- trationhasyettopurgetheforce security apparatus that kept an store order in various states for point out that the government arrived after midnight. manders across the country, of thousands of career officers iron grip on Mexico for decades 10 months until he was demoted hasmaderecorddrugseizures When the commander, Com- replacing them with his own with roots in the old force, which when it was ruled by a single last February after openly criti- andscoresofarrestsoverthe missionerÉdgarMillánGómez, handpicked officers who had was rife with corruption. party, the Institutional Revolu- cizingtheoperationsinaletter last year and a half. the acting chief of the federal police, died with eight bullets in his chest on May 8, it sent chills throughaforcethathadincreas- inglyfounditselfatarget.The violence shows no sign of abat- ing. On Tuesday, seven federal police officers werekilledina shootoutinCuliacán, the capital of Sinaloa State. ThepolicesaidCommissioner Millán’skillerhadbeenhiredby a disgruntled federal police officer who worked for a drug car- tel in Sinaloa. The inside nature ofthekillingunderscoredjust how difficult it is for President Felipe Calderón to keep his vow tocleanuppolicecorruptionand end drug-related violence. Since coming to office in De- cember 2006, Mr. Calderón has sought to revamp and profes- sionalizethefederalpoliceforce, using it, with the army, to mount

CALIF. ARIZONA NEW MEXICO Tijuana TEXAS Ciudad Juárez Nuevo SINALOA Laredo

MEXICO

Mexico City Pacific Ocean

MORELOS Kms. 645

THE NEW YORK TIMES Drug cartels in Sinaloa have infiltrated the police forces. huge interventions in cities and states once controlled by drug traffickers. The result has been mayhem: astreetwarinwhichnotarget has been too big, no attack too brazen for the gangs. Opposition politicians and even some police officials have begun to question whether the president’s ambition has ex- ceeded his grasp, with dangerous and destabilizing conse- quences. Top security officials who were once thought untouchable have been gunned down in Mex- ico City, four in the last month alone. Drug dealers killed another seven federal agents this yearinretaliationfordrugbusts in border towns. Others have died in shootouts. Severalterrifiedlocalpolice chiefs have resigned, the most recent being Guillermo Prieto, the chief in Ciudad Juárez, who recently stepped down after his second in command was killed a few days earlier. “ItisnotjusthappeninginCiu- dad Juárez,’’ Mayor José Reyes Ferriz said at the funeral for the deputy commander, Juan Anto- nioRomanGarcía.“It’shappen- ing in Nuevo Laredo, in Tijuana, in this entire region. They are attacking top commanders to destabilize the police.’’ Drug traffickers have killed at least 170 local police officers as well since Mr. Calderón took office. Thepresidenthasvowedto staythecourse,portrayingthe violence among gangs and at- tacksonthepoliceasasignof success rather than failure. The government has smashed the cartels, he says, forcing a war among the splinter groups. The killing of Commissioner Millán, he has said, was “a desperate act to weaken the federal police.’’ The violence between drug cartels has worsened over the pastyearandahalf.Thedeath toll has jumped 47 percent to 1,378 this year, prosecutors say. Onereasonforthesurgein violence is that Mr. Calderón and his public security minister,

Repubblica NewYork IV MONDAY, JUNE2,2008

WORLD TRENDS

As the American economy has faltered, many boat owners have defaulted. Banks hire Jeff Henderson to seize boats when loans go unpaid.

Easy Credit, Flashy Boats And an Unhappy Ending

By DAVID STREITFELD gears went into reverse. The number of HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Michigan boatssoldfell8percent.Manyboatsare — So many people have so many things fuel hogs, andrising gasoline anddiesel they can no longer afford. This is an ex- prices meant a weekend trip could cost cellenttimetobeintherepossession hundreds or even thousands of dollars. business. Owners found they could not sell a boat PHOTOGRAPHS BY FABRIZIO CONSTANTINI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES Whenaboatownerdefaultsonhis forwhattheyowedandcouldnotrefi- a few more times, he’ll be eligible for a fromayardinnorthernMichiganwhen Dahmen said. “There really is.’’ loan, the bank hires Jeff Henderson to nance either. Christmascard.Oneguy,Itookhisboat a woman came out pointing a hunting ToyBoxcost$175,000.Withthetrade- seize its property. The former Army de- Thesolutionforsomeissimplytostop four times.’’ rifle.Anothertime,anoff-dutypolice inandadownpayment, Mr. Dahmen tective tracks the boat down in a back- paying on their boats. Then one day Boat loans give the bank permission officer pulled a gun, perhaps confusing ended up with a $125,000 loan. “You yard or a marina or a garage and hauls they come home and it is gone. to recover its collateral in the case of the repo man with a thief. pay the interest up front,’’ he observed, it to his storage area and later auctions Mr. Henderson’s company, Harrison default, which explains why a repo man ButwhenhesteeredToyBoxuptohis “andthe principal never goes down.’’ itoff.Afternearly20yearsintherepos- Marine, has seven employees as well as cangointoayardwithouttechnically dock, no fighting ensued. Robert Dah- Aftersevenyearshestillowed$111,000, sessionbusiness,Mr.Henderson,arepo half a dozen part-timers, making it one trespassing. men, a lanky 49-year-old, was peaceful, about twice whattheboatisworth. man, has never been busier. of the largest boat repo operations in In search of Toy Box, a 10-meter even apologetic. He wanted to salvage Meanwhile, he lost his condominium “Iusedtotaketheweakones,’’he theUnitedStates.Mr.Henderson,48,is Donzi Express with green stripes, he whatever he could off the boat. when his mortgage readjusted and said. “Now I’m taking the whole herd.’’ repossessing nearly a boat a day, most calledabouttwodozenmari nas, finally Some people lose their house or their those payments went up. Boating was traditionally the pas- from the Great Lakes area. finding it on the Detroit River. On a re- boat to abrupt setbacks: illness, job “I oversaturatedmyself wi th long- time of the wealthy, but the long hous- A few kilometers from Mr. Hender- cent afternoon, he had it pulledout of loss, divorce. Mr. Dahmen, who works term debt,’’ he said. “It was a risk, a ingboomanditstimeofeasycredit son’sofficeisahousewithaboattied winter storage. asatechnologymanagerforacarman- calculated risk. I obviously lost.’’ He is changedthat. People refinancedtheir up on the canal in back, a 12-meter Toy Box was rocketing up Lake St. ufacturer,belongstoasecond,probably declaring bankruptcy. homes and used the cash for down pay- Silvertonyacht.“I’vetakenthisboat Clair when Mr. Henderson’s cellphone larger group: he simply spent beyond From now on, Mr. Dahmen said, the ments on a cruiser, miniyacht or sail- before,’’ Mr. Henderson said. Own- rang. It was the marina he had just left, hismeans.Heisone of the millions of consumer economy wouldhave to get boat.From2000to2006,retailsales ers of repossessedboatshaveafew saying the owner hadshown up looking reasons the consumer-poweredAmeri - by without him. “I have no intention of for the recreational boating industry weeks to redeem them, and this fellow for his boat. can economy did so well for most of this ever buying anything, ever,’’ he said. “I rosebymorethan40percent,to$39.5 had availed himself of the opportunity. The possibility of violence shadows decade, and one of the reasons its pros- don’t think I could if I wanted to.’’ billion, while the average loan amount Now,afewyearslater,hewasintrouble every repo man. “Sometimes people pects look so bleak now. Mr.DahmengaveToyBoxahug. more than tripled to $141,000. again.Mr.Hendersonshrugged.“Itook have a bit of an attitude,’’ Mr. Hender- “There’sacertainsenseoffailure “O.K.,I’mgoingtogocrynow,’’he Last year, as real estate faltered, the it before, I’ll take it again. After I take it son sa id. He was seizing a pontoon boat about all this, to tell you the truth,’’ Mr. said.

In Boom Time, Job Loss Brings a Sense Brazilians Domestic car sales Houses bought each Credit as a share year with mortgages of G.D.P. Of Lowered Social Status 2.5 million vehicles 200,000 houses 400% Feel Confident How are friends supposed to re- From Page 1 spond? “People say, ‘Oh, well, it’s not 2.0 people contacted for this article were so bad, it’s happening everywhere,’ ” From Page 1 150 300 unwilling to speak for attribution, saidAnne Baber, co-author of “How citing confidentiality agreements or, toFireproofYourCareer,”whichis giventhepoorcashtospend.Wagesare 1.5 simply, embarrassment. basedon interviews with several hun- rising and unemployment is falling. In general, middle-aged profession- dred laid-off employees. “But to the In short, more Brazilians have more 100 200 als seem more anxious and demoral- person getting laid off, it is that bad.” money. 1.0 izedthan younger ones; men tendto Although layoffs are becoming dis- Mr. da Silva calls it a miracle. But in be more close-mouthed than women. mayinglycommon,thetermstillhasa reality,it is something Latin Americans WhenJanetteLaVigne,aninsur- lingering stigma. “It helps people who 50 100 long lacked: confidence. 0.5 ance company executive from Clin- are still employed to believe that peo- With both government andoutside tonTownship,NewJersey,waslaid ple who have been laid off did some- analysts insisting the economy can off last month, she immediately told thing wrong,” Ms. Baber said. “If you withstandtheeffectsofaglobalslow- herfemalefriends.Thewomenwere canblamethem,thenyoucanfeel down,banksandcompaniesaresan- empathetic andbracing, particu- protected. If it’s just random — ‘they guineenoughtolendtoconsumersover ’01’03’05 ’07 ’01’03 ’05 ’07 Japan Brazil larly those whose husbands had been movedcustomer service to Dallas’ longer periods than ever before. At the throughlayoffs,saidMs.LaVigne, — then nothing will protect you either, United States sametime,anincreasinglysecuremid- Sources: ANEF, using Central Bank numbers; World Bank; whohadbeenwiththesamecompany and that’s scary to people.” dle class is confident enough to borrow Brazilian Savings and Loan Trade Association; Europe for 21 years. Certainlythesheervolumeoflay- National Association of Automotive Vehicle Manufacturers — to such an extent, analysts say, that “But the guys are speechless,” she offs is making disclosure with a shrug domestic consumption has taken over said. “They don’t know how to handle more acceptable. Job agencies urge fromexportsasBrazil’smaineconomic percent so far this year. it.Theirbodylanguagesays,‘Eww, driver, reducing the effect of what hap- The reason, Mr. Lula and I’m so glad I’m not you right now.’ ” pens in, say, the United States. expertsagree,isthechange Breaking the news to parents who Because of the twin economic and inpaymentplans.Untilre- grew up under the shadow of the The etiquette of layoffs: credit booms, major purchases like cently, interest rates were GreatDepressionisespeciallyhard. houses, cars and electronics are within so high andBrazil’s econ- Last summer, when Diane Gelman, a how to disclose, and the reach of up to 20 million more Bra- omysounpredictablethat single mother, was laid off as a finan- ziliansthaneverbefore,EricoFerreira, bankswouldnotlendforex- cial analyst at a Manhattan bank, she how to comfort. the president of the National Associa- tended periods of time. calledher mother, maskedher own tion of Credit, Financing and Invest- Sergio Troczynski, a 24- shock and put on a show of optimism. ment Institutions, estimated. year-oldcommercial con- “I’vebeenunhappyforsolongat “People that weren’t consumers are sultant, finally pickedup my job, Mom,” she recalledsaying. networking: Tell everyone you know. now consumers,’’ Mr. Ferreira said. a silver Fiat Punto in April “And now they’re offering me money Because you never know. “Everyoneistakingmoremoneyhome. andfulfilledhis dream of to leave! It’s not personal, it’s a busi- Butnetworkingonsuchalocal, If you want credit, you can get it.’’ LALO de ALMEIDA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES owninganewcar.Afew nessdecision,andIamsofinewithit.” backyard level is hard for some, espe- For items like cars andhouses, where Sergio Troczynski, 24, of São Paulo, took out years ago he couldnot af- She has since found a position. cially the innately private or shy and paying in cash is rarely feasible, the num- aloantobuyhisnewFiatPunto.Easycredit fordthe exorbitant install- Thoseonthesidelinesarealsoun- the staunchly proud. bersarerevealing.Thenumberofhouses is fueling middle-class consumption in Brazil. ments. Today, however, he comfortable, fumbling for a protocol, Many people remain uncertain bought with mortgages rose 72 percent is paidenough to make a an etiquette to support their strug- aboutwhetheracallintendedtoex- lastyeartoitshighestnumberever,and downpaymentonhisdream glingneighbors,whilealsorespecting pressconcerntothoselaidoffwill the amount of money being borrowedto didn’thaveafridge,awashingmachine, vehicle—andonan81-centimetertele- their dignity. beinterpretedascondescendingor buy vehicles jumped45 percent. a sewing machine, a heater for winter, vision.Hewillpaytheequivalentof$455 Deborah Tannen, a linguistics pro- intrusive.Butaninvestmentbanker Thecreditexplosionisaregional an air-conditioner for summer, they can a month over 36 months for the car, and fessor at Georgetown University in from Manhattan who has seen many phenomenon, according to economists. buy this now and improve their quality about$121amonthover12monthsfor Washington, D.C., explainedthe inar- colleagues laid off recommended err- Though Latin American nations have of life substantially.’’ thetelevision. ticulateness of the well-intentioned. ing on the side of being helpful: little tradition of consumer credit, the ThenewrealityisclearestinBrazil “Icanonlymanagethisbecauseof “People feel caught between two con- “Call! Say: ‘Hey, I have no idea amount of money being lent is growing —wheretheamountofmoneyputon the financing. There’d be no other way flicting concerns,” saidDr. Tannen, what you’re going through or what rapidly, said Gregorio Goity, an Argen- creditcardsrose20percentlastyear formetoafforditwithoutthat,’’Mr. theauthorof“YouJustDon’tUnder- youneed,butI’dlovetohavecoffee tine economist andformer headof the — and particularly in the auto market. Troczynski said. “Before the banks stand: Women and Men in Conver- with you. Maybe there are a couple of IberoamericanFederationofFinan- Arecord2.46millionvehiclesweredriv- didn’t have any confidence and neither sation.” “You’re caught between the introductionsIcanmake,’”saidthe cial Associations. “I can’t think of one enoffcarlotslastyear,accordingtothe did the sa lespeople. Credit is much eas- need to show you care and the fear of banker,JoshuaSchwartz.“Evenif where it isn’t growing,’’ he added, re- National Association of Automotive iertogetandthatmakesiteasytobuya offending because you’re reminding you can’t be helpful or they don’t take ferring to Latin America. “People who Vehicle Manufacturers. Sales are up 31 car, a house and pay it up over years.’’ them of something painful.” your offer, it’s the right thing to do.”

Repubblica NewYork MONDAY,JUNE2,2008 V

BUSINESS OF GREEN Making Ships Green, in Port and at Sea

By JAMES KANTER soot that researchers say captures heat when it GOTHENBURG,Sweden—Somethingunusual settles on ice and could be accelerating the melt- ishappeninginSwedishwaters.Crewsdocking ing of the polar ice caps. at the Port of Gothenburg are turning off their en- Health experts say the particulates worsen re- ginesandpluggingintothelocalpowergridrather spiratory illnesses, cardiopulmonary disorders A ship using than burning diesel oil or sulfurous bunker fuel and lung cancers, particularly among people who the shore-side — a thick, black residue left over from refining oil. live near heavy ship traffic. electrical plug “I always knew these extremely dirty bunker Ship engines also produce large quantities of ni- in Gothenburg fuels were helping produce acid rain that falls trogen, which contribute to the formation of algal can shut down soheavilyoverthispartofSweden,’’saidPer blooms at sea. Those use up oxygen when they de- Lindeberg,theport’selectricalmanagerandan compose and create so-called marine dead zones its engines and avid fisherman. “I was very happy when we could in heavily trafficked waters, like the Baltic Sea. burn less of its switch off the ships.’’ “The sheer volume of pollutants from shipping dirty, sulphur- Similartechnologieshavebeenintroducedat has grown exponentially along with the growth of based fuel. ZeebruggeinBelgium,andinLosAngelesand oureconomiesandofglobaltrade,’’saidAchim LongBeachinCalifornia.ButasatGothenburg, Steiner,theexecutivedirectorofthe United Na- only a small fractionofshipsareequippedwith tions Environment Program. “Shipping is just less plugs,sothebenefitsfromshore-sideelectricity visible than other industries, so for too long it has DEAN C.K. COX FOR THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE so far have been limited. slipped to the bottom of the agenda.’’ thematteritself,perhaps by including shipping in able to build refining operations quickly enough And despite the growing availability of cleaner With the harm growing increasingly evident, the European carbon trading system. That could and that oil companies would be penalized for technologies, the shipping industry has made little the International Maritime Organization, a Unit- oblige ship owners to buy pollution permits from doing so, because refining contributes heavily to progress toward becoming greener, even as traffic ed Nations body, recently proposed reducing the other sectors. greenhouse gas output. grows heavier on existing routes and new routes sulfur content of marine fuels starting in 2010 on The shipping industry has supported the orga- In Gothenburg, ship crews hook up vessels us- open up in the Arctic. Recent efforts to tackle the all ships. It also proposed steps reducing nitrogen nization’s recommendations because they would ing the shore-side electricity system with a single problem have met resistance — less fromtheship- oxide emissionsfromenginesonnewships from applygloballyandbeintroducedgradually.But giantplugwithinabout10minutesofdocking.The ping industry, however, than from the big oil com- 2011, with the organization intending to adopt all the fuel industry immediately called for a review technology cuts emissions of sulfur, nitrogen and panies that supply the dirty fuel. the measures in October. of the most important element: a global cap on sul- particulateemissionsbyberthedshipstonearly Shipping is responsible for about twice the emis- The organization is continuing to work on sepa- fur content of marine fuels of 0.5 percent by 2020 zero, and cuts engine noise, too. sionsofcarbondioxideasaviation. Yet airlines rate measures to deal with the more difficult issue from the current level of 4.5 percent. Mr.Lindeberg,theport manager who developed have come under greater criticism even though of carbon dioxide emissions. Thattargetposes“riskstosecurityofsupply thetechnology,saidtherewardswouldbeasmuch the aviation industry is responsible for only about The EuropeanCommission,the executivearm and to shippers and truckers,’’ said Isabelle Mull- personal as professional. 2percentofglobalemissionsofgreenhousegases. of the 27-nation European Union, has said that if er, the secretary general of Europia, an industry “In the past all weneededtodowastothrow In addition, particles emitted by ships burning the International Maritime Organization fails to group representing BP, Exxon Mobil and other oil a net into the river to catch the salmon,’’ he said. heavy bunker fuel, described by some seafarers makeconcreteproposalsoncarbondioxideby companies. “It’sespeciallywhenI’mfishingthatIthinkabout as “black yogurt’’ for its consistency, also contain the end of the year, it would consider regulating Ms.Mullersaidthefuelindustrywouldnotbe the damage.’’

New Varieties Of Biofuels Come With New Risks

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL ROME — Inthepastyear,asthediversion of food crops like corn and palm to make biofuels has helpedtodriveupfoodprices,investorsandpoliti- cians have begun promoting newer, so-called second-generation biofuels as the next wave of green energy.These,madefromnon-foodcropslike reeds and wild grasses, would offer fuel without the risk of taking food off the table, they said. But now, biologists and botanists are warning that they, too, may bring serious unintended con- sequences. Most of these newer crops are what scientists label invasive species — that is, weeds —thathaveanextraordinarilyhighpotential toescapebiofuelplantations,overrunadjacent farms and natural land, and create economic and ecological havoc in the process, they now say. At aUnitedNationsmeetinginBonn,Germany, onMay20,scientistsfromtheGlobalInvasiveSpe- ciesProgram,theNatureConservancyandthe International Union for Conservation of Nature, as well as other groups, presented a paper with a warning about invasive species. “Some of the most commonly recommended species for biofuels production are also major invasivealienspecies,’’ PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADRIANA ZEHBRAUSKAS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES thepapersays.Control- ling the spread of such A rush to Jesús León Santos advocates plants,theexpertssaid, Ancient Indian traditional farming practices could produce “greater plant invasive to increase plant yields. financial losses than species for fuel Ways Are Used María Magdalena Vicente, gains.’’ 71, raises sheep, a source The scientists com- may backfire. of cash for many of the pared the list of the To Revive the Land most popular second- subsistence farmers. generation biofuels withthelistofinvasivespeciesandfoundan By ELISABETH MALKIN aboutthree-orfourfold,toabout16 alarming degree of overlap. SAN ISIDRO TILANTONGO, Mexico — Jesús to 24 bushels per hectare. “Withbiofuels,there’salwaysahurry,’’said León Santos is a Mixtec Indian farmer who will “The people here are saying that Geoffrey Howard,aninvasivespeciesexpert soon plant corn on a small plot next to his house we have to find a way to produce with the International Union for Conservation of in time for the summer rains. He plows with oxen our food and meet our basic needs, Nature. “Plantations are started by investors, of- and harvests by hand. and that we can do it in a way that tenfromtheU.S.orEurope,sotheyareeagerto Under conventional economic logic, Mr. León issustainable,”saidPhilDahl-Bre- generatebiofuelswithinacoupleofyearsandalso, is uncompetitive. His yields are just a fraction of dine, a Maryknoll lay worker who as you might guess, they don’t want a negative as- what mechanized agriculture churns out. has worked with Cedicam for sev- sessment,’’ he said. But to him, that is beside the point. en years and written a book about Thebiofuelsindustrysaidtheriskofthosecrops TheMixtecahighlandshereinthestateof the region. morphing into weed problems is overstated. Oaxaca are burdened with some of the most bar- long ditches along the slopes to halt the wash of Thekeytodeterminingtheproject’ssuccess “There are very few plants that are ‘weeds,’ full ren earth in Mexico, the result of more than five rainwater that dragged the soil from the moun- will be if it can produce enough to sustain families stop,’’saidWillyDeGreef,incomingsecretary centuriesoferosionthatbeganevenbeforethe tains.Trappedincanals,thewaterseepsdown during the bad years, said James D. Reynolds, generalofEuropaBio,anindustrygroup.“You arrival of the Spanish colonizers, their goats and to recharge the water table and restore dried-up an expert on desertification at Duke University have to look at the biology of the plant and the en- their cattle. Over the past two decades, Mr. León springs. who visited Cedicam last month. The land of the vironment where you’re introducing it and ask, and other farmers have worked to reforest and As the land has begun to produce again, Mr. Mixteca region is so degraded that “the overall arethereworrypointshere?’’Hesaidthatbiofuel reclaimthisparchedland,hopingtofindaway Leónhasreintroducedthetraditionalmilpa, potential is not that high,” he said. farmers would inevitably introduce new crops for people to stay and work their farms. aplotwherecorn,climbingbeansandsquash Mixtecfarmerstypicallygrowenoughcorn carefully because they would not want growth “We migrate because we don’t think there are growtogether.Thepre-Hispanicfarmingprac- to feed their families and sell the excess in lo- they could not control. options,” Mr. León said. “The important thing is tice fixes nutrients in the soil and creates natura l calmarkets.Butthepricetheygethasbeendis- From a business perspective, the good thing to give options for a better life.” barriers to pests and disease. torted by subsidized American imports and the about second-generation biofuel crops is that they Mr.Leónandthefarmers’grouphehelped Along the way, the farmers have modernized dominance of just a handful of large buyers. It are easy to grow and need little attention. But that found, the Center for Integral Campesino Devel- the ancient techniques. Mr. León has encouraged doesnotcovertheincreaseinthecostoffertil- is also what creates their invasive potential. opmentoftheMixteca,orCedicam,havereached farmers to use natural compost as fertilizer, in- izer,whichhasmorethandoubledinthepast “Thesearetoughsurvivors,whichmeansthey’re into the past to revive pre-Hispanic practices. To troducedcroprotationandimprovedontradi- year. good producers for biofuel because they grow well arresterosion,Cedicamhasplantedtrees,mostly tional seed selection. “Wehavetothinkaboutadifferentformofpro- on marginal land that you wouldn’t use for food,’’ nativeocotepines,amillioninthepastfiveyears, Mr. León plows with oxen by choice. A tractor duction,” said Mr. León, who won the prestigious Dr.Howardsaid.“Butwe’vehad100yearsofex- raised in the group’s own nurseries. would pack down the soil too firmly. Goldman Prize for grassroots environmentalists perience with introductions of these crops that Working communally, the villagers built In the eight villages in the region where Cedi- last month. “Conventional methods are not pos- turned out to be disastrous for environment, peo- stone walls to terrace the hillside, and they dug cam has worked, Mr. Leon said, yields have risen sible in a globalized market.” ple, health.’’

Repubblica NewYork VI MONDAY,JUNE2,2008

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

esearchers say TusksMadeforWalking that the walrus is socially sophisticated And a Snout Full of Songs and musically talented. But it may be By NATALIE ANGIER ically, acoustically and taxonomically imperiled as its In the public ranking of marine mam- inacategoryallitsown.Thewalrus Arctic habitat mals,dolphinsareadored,whales belongs to the pinniped suborder, the warms. revered,andsealpupsmakepeople groupofblubbery,fin-footedcarnivores swoon. But walruses remain perverse- that includes seals and sea lions. ly, lumpishly obscure. Butwhereasthereare19speciesin Dr.RonaldJ.SchustermanoftheUni- thefamilyofso-calledtrueseals,and14 versity of California, Santa Cruz, who in the family of fur seals and sea lions, has studied them for years, says that to thewalrusistheonlylivingrepresenta- meet a walrus is to fall in love with wal- tive of the family Odobenidae. ruses—themammalsarethatsmart, “I’veworkedwith marine mammals friendly and playful. “They’re pussy- foralongtime,andwithmanydifferent cats!” he said, even though adult males speciesofpinniped,butI’veneverexpe- grow to 1,000 kilograms. rienced anything like walruses,” said Dr.Schustermanandhiscolleagues Colleen Reichmuth of the Long Marine say Odobenus rosmarus is a magnifi- Laboratory at the University of Califor- cent creature, behaviorally, anatom- nia,SantaCruz.“Theyarefantastic.” Yetsheandhercolleaguesdespairfor thewalrus’sfuture.Likethepolar bear, which the United States recently granted protection D . A /A C AD P RUSSIA under the Endangered Species Act, the walrus portunity for learning,” said Dr. Reich- nonstop for days at a time, and their back out in targeted jets. depends on the sea- muth. songs can be heard up to 16 kilometers They are able to locate, excavate and SIBERIA sonal rhythms of the Awalrusisbeautifullysuitedfor away. extract the meat from an oyster in six polar ice cap for ev- Arctic life. Its thick hide of blubber and Nobody yet knows what a female seconds, said Nette Levermann of the ery phase of its life, skin keeps it warm. With its elongated listens for while she hears one or more University of Copenhagen, “and all this Barents which means it is pair of canine teeth, its hallmark tusks, suitors singing, but listen she appar- without the help of hands and in total Sea vulnerable to the the walrus can heave itself from water ently does, for she eventually dives darkness.” Perennial sea ice warmingofthe and onto slippery ice — hence the fam- from her icy perch and into the water Evidence suggests that the bonds NORTH earth’s climate. ily name, Odobenidae, which in Latin to mate with a male, and evidence sug- between walruses are exceptionally POLE Arctic As researchers means those that walk with their teeth. gestsshewillshunanyonewhocan’t strong: the animals share food, come Ocean have lately deter- It turns out that Odobenus is also an carry a tune. to one another’s aid when under attack ALASKA GREENLAND mined, the walrus acousticgenius,itsbodyanall-in-one Pinnipedsarethoughttobedescen- and nurse one another’s young. shares with other band. Males woo females with lengthy dantsofbear-liketerrestrialances- “Walrusesareverygregarious,and A Pacific R C T big-brained spe- musical compositions. torsthat,around30millionyearsago, theyliketobenearotherwalruses,” Ocean IC Atlantic C IRC Ocean cies an unusually Walruses sing with their fleshy and turned amphibious to better exploit said Chad Jay, who heads the walrus LE extended childhood. muscularlips,tongues,muzzlesand marine prey. research program for the United States Walrus calves remain noses. They sing by striking their flip- Walruses eat huge numbers of bi- Geological Survey’s Alaska Science CANADA with their mothers for pers against their chests to hit their valves,maybe7,000aday.Theycreep Center in Anchorage. “They like hang- several years, compared pharyngeal pouches, balloon-like ex- alongtheseabed,theirwhiskeryvibris- ing out together, touching each other, with several weeks or months tensions of the trachea that are unique sae probing the surfacetofeelforthe socializing. Even when it’s hot and they Sources: Alaska Natural fortheyoungofotherpinnipeds, to Odobenus and that also serve as flo- tubesofburiedmollusks.Theydislodge have plenty of space, they prefer to Heritage Program; and that sustaineddependency tation devices. their prey with a scoop of their flippers, clamber ontop of each other and huddle Norwegian Polar Institute THE NEW YORK TIMES “could very well provide an op- In full breeding frenzy, the bulls sing or by sucking in water and blasting it together.”

At a new studio in imbuktu, A Musician Who Performs imaging teams digitize rare works, like a With His Scalpel in Hand map, near left, and a legal By DAVID DOBBS inelitemusicschoolsinMunich,Augs- opinion on the For Claudius Conrad, a 30-year-old burg and Salzburg,Austria.Afterhigh rules for buying surgeon who has played the piano school he served his obligatory mili- and selling seriouslysincehewas5,musicand taryserviceasasniperintheGerman goods, far left. medicine are entwined — from the Army’s mountain corps, where his academicrealmdowntothelevelof commanderfoundeveryopportunity the fine-fingered dexterity required toflyhimoutoftheAlpsforsomepiano at the piano bench and the operating time. table. Dr.Conrad’srecentpaperfocused “If I don’t play for a couple of days,’’ on specific mechanisms that may help said Dr. Conrad, a third-year surgical explainmusic’seffectsonthebody.In resident at Harvard Medical School the paper, published last December who also holds doctorates in stem cell in the journal Critical Care Medicine, biology and music philosophy, “I can- he and colleagues revealed an unex- not feel things as well in surgery. My pectedelementindistressedpatients’ handsarenotastenderwiththetis- physiological response to music: a Treasures sue.Theyarenotassensitivetothe jump in pituitary growth hormone, feedback that the tissue gives you.’’ whichisknowntobecrucialinheal- Like many surgeons, Dr. Conrad ing.“It’sasortofquickening,’’hesaid, Of Timbuktu says he works better when he listens “that produces a calming effect.” to music. And he cites studies, including some of his own, showing that Are Digitized music is helpful to patients as well A UC P: AVAA-DC —bringingrelaxationandreducing bloodpressure,heartrate,stress By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD beavailableonlinebytheendofthe financing from the Andrew W. Mellon hormones, pain and the need for pain ThewrittenwordsofTimbuktu,the year. Foundation,Alukaenlistedmediatech- medication. legendary African oasis, are being de- Theprojecttocollectthedigitalman- nicians from Northwestern University Buttotheextentthatmusic heals, liveredbyelectroniccaravan.Alode uscripts is being organized by Aluka, in Evanston, Illinois, to design and set how does it heal? The physiological of books and manuscripts, some only aninternational nonprofit company de- upahigh-resolutiondigitalphotostudio pathways responsible have remained recentlyrescuedfromdecay,isbeing voted to bringing knowledge from and in Timbuktu. obscure, and the search for an under- digitized for the Internet and distrib- about Africa to the scholarly world. AlthoughthewritingismostlyinAra- lying mechanism has moved slowly. uted to scholars worldwide. “ThemanuscriptsofTimbuktuadd bic, quite a few manuscripts are in ver- Now Dr. Conrad is trying to change Theseareworksoflawandhistory, great depth to our understanding of naculars adapted to the Arabic script. that. He recently published a provoca- C. J. GU F science and medicine, poetry and theol- Africa’sdiversehistoryandciviliza- Researchershavebeenstruckbythe tive paper suggesting that music may Claudius Conrad explores the ogy, relics of Timbuktu’s golden age as tions,’’ said Rahim S. Rajan, the collec- rangeofsubjectsthatattractedTimbuk- exert healing and sedative effects roleof music in medicine. a crossroads in Mali for trade in gold, tion development manager at Aluka. tu’s scholars over several centuries and partly through a paradoxical stimula- salt and slaves along the southern edge In partnership with a consortium of into the 19th century. Most of the first tionofagrowthhormonegenerallyas- of the Sahara. If the name is now a syn- private libraries in Timbuktu and with digitized ones are from the 17th through sociated with stress rather than heal- Hehopestoexpandhisstudy of onym for mysterious remoteness, the 19thcenturies.Thetopicsincludethesci- ing. music’s effects on growth hormone literature attests to Timbuktu’s earlier encesofastronomy,mathematicsand This jump in growth hormone, said in intensive-care patients. He is also role as a vibrant intellectual center. AFRICA Kms. 400 botany;literaryarts;Islamicreligious Dr. John Morley, an endocrinologist at planning similar studies of how mu- In recent years, thousands ofthese ALGERIA practices and thought; and historical St. Louis University Medical Center sic affects a surgeon’s performance. leather-bound books and fragile manu- MALI accounts. who was not involved with the study, That line of study goes way back — at scripts have been recovered from fam- MALI “Itisarichcorpusofhistoricaland “is not what you’d expect, and it’s not least to 1914, when The Journal of the ilyarchives,privatelibrariesandstore- intellectual literature that is just be- precisely clear what it means.’’ American Medical Association pub- rooms. The South African government ginning to become more widely under- But he said it raised “some wonder- lished “The Phonograph in the Oper- is financing construction of a library in Timbuktu stood and accessible to a broader group fulnewpossibilitiesaboutthephysiol- ating Room,’’ by E. Kane. MAURITANIA Timbuktu to house more than 30,000 of of scholars and researchers,’’ said Mr. ogyofhealing,’’andadded:“Andof “WhenIwasaresident,youjust the books. Other gifts support renova- Rajan, a specialist in Middle East stud- course it has a nice sort of metaphori- picked a radio station,’’ said Dr. Ran- tionsoffamilylibrariesandprojectsfor NIGER ies. cal ring. We used to talk about the dall Gaz, an attending surgeon at preserving, translating and interpret- Bamako Even if Timbuktu today is a dusty, neuroendocrine system being a sort Massachusetts General Hospital who BURKINA ing the documents. FASO mud-brick shadow of its past renown, of neuronal orchestra conductor di- is one of Dr. Conrad’s teachers and an Now,thefirstfiveoftheraremanu- GUINEA living mainly on the few tourists at- recting the immune system. Here we amateur pianist as well. scripts from private libraries have tractedbyitsnameandlegend,the have music stimulating this conductor “This new wave of surgeons bring been digitized and made available on- pages of its history are emerging from to get the healing process started.’’ theiriPods,’’hecontinued.“They line (www.aluka.org) to scholars and imbuktuwasacrossroadsinali obscurity and, in some cases, are being BorninMunich,Dr.Conradtookup bring whole mixes. It’s like they have students. At least 300 are expected to for tradein gold, salt and slaves. disseminated by the speed of light. the piano when he was 5 and trained the whole thing choreographed.’’

Repubblica NewYork MONDAY,JUNE2,2008 VII

PERSONALITIES

GEORGE SOROS BillionaireCravesRespect For Theories, Not Money

By LOUISE STORY andpeoplewillhaveahardertimebor- George Soros will not go quietly. rowing money. Attheageof77,Mr.Soros,oneofthe “Imaywellbeprovenwrong,’’he world’s most successful investors and said.“IwouldsaythatI’mtheboywho richest men, leapt out of retirement cried wolf three times.’’ last summer to safeguard his fortune ManyofthepeopleMr.Soroswants and legacy. Alarmed by the unfold- to influence may view him with skep- ing crisis in the financial markets, he ticism,inpartbecauseofhowhe made once again began trading for hisgiant hisfortune.In1992,hisfund made a hedgefund—andwonbigwhileso boldbetagainsttheBritishpoundand many others lost. helped force the British government Mr. Soros has alwaysbeenacon- to devalue the currency.Fiveyears troversial figure. Butheisbecoming later, he bet — correctly — that Thai- moresowithanew,direforecastfor land would be forced to devalue its the world economy. In his latest book, currency, the baht. his 10th, he warns that the financial Asked if it bothers him that people pain has only just begun. accuse him of causing economic pain, “Iconsiderthisthebiggestfinancial he said: “Yes, it does, actually, yes.” crisis of my lifetime,’’ Mr. Soros said. Askedifthosepeoplearerightto SHIGERU MIYAMOTO A “superbubble’’ that has been swell- blame him, he says, “Well, no, not en- ing for a quarter of a century is finally tirely.” No single investor can move a bursting, he said. currency,hesaid.“Marketsmovecur- Mr.Soros,whosedaring,controver- rencies, so what happened with the AModest sial trades came to symbolize global capitalism in the 1990s, is promoting hislatestbook,“The NewParadigm Mastermind forFinancialMarkets.’’Andyetthis is not the first time that Mr. Soros has prophesied doom. In 1998, he pub- Fuels Success lished a book predicting a global economic collapse that never came. Mr.Soros,whocameofageinNazi- At Nintendo occupied Hungary, yearns to be re- membered not only as a great trader butalsoasagreatthinker. The mar- By SETH SCHIESEL PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL NAGLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES ket theory he has promoted for two It’s O.K. to liken Shigeru Miyamoto to Shigeru Miyamoto created games that have sold more than 350 million decades and espoused most of his life Walt Disney. —somethinghecalls“reflexivity”—is When Disney died in 1966, Mr. Miya- copies. He demonstrates Wii Fit, a new fitness device from Nintendo. still dismissed by many economists. moto was a 14-year-old schoolteacher’s Theideaisthat people’s biases and sonlivingnearKyoto,Japan’sancient actions can affect the direction of the capital. An aspiring cartoonist, he “What’s important is that than create a new generation of games underlyingeconomy, underminingthe adored the classic Disney characters. that would titillate hard-core players, conventionaltheorythatmarketstend Whenhewasn’tdrawing,hecarvedhis the people that I work with they developed the Wii as an easy-to- toward some sort of equilibrium. own wooden puppets. use, inexpensive diversion for families. Mr. Soros said all aspects of his life Even as he has become the world’s are also recognized and SofartheWiihassoldmorethan25mil- aredrivenbyreflexivity,whichhas JOEL SAGET/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES mostfamousandinfluential video- lion units, besting the competition from to do with the feedback loop between game designer — the father of Donkey that it’s the Nintendo brand Sony and Microsoft. people’s understanding of reality and Kong, Mario, Zelda and, most recently, Mr. Miyamoto graduated from the their own actions. Society as a whole “To make a contribution theWii—Mr.Miyamotostillapproach- that goes forward and KanazawaCollegeofArtin1975and could learn from his theory, he said. eshisworklikeahumblecraftsman,not joined Nintendo two years later as a “To make a contribution to our under- to our understanding as the celebrity he is to gamers around continues to become strong staff artist. He rose quickly at the com- standing of reality would be my great- the world. pany,andhisnamehasbeensynony- est accomplishment,” he said. of reality would be my Perchedontheendofachairinahotel and popular.” mous with Nintendo since the 1980s. Mr. Soros has been worrying about suiteinManhattan,theyouthful-appear- SincethenMr.Miyamotohasbeen thefragilestateofthemarketsfor greatest accomplishment.” ing 55-year-old Mr. Miyamoto radiated directly involved in the production of years. But last summer, at a luncheon the contentment of someone who has strong and popular,” he said. “And if at least 70 games, including recent hits at his home in Southampton, New alwayswantedtomakefun.Andhehas. people are going to consider the Nin- like Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros. York,with20prominentfinanciers,he British pound would have happened AsthecreativemastermindatNintendo tendo brand as being on the same level Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy and The struck an unusually bearish note. whether I was born or not, so there- for almostthreedecades,Mr.Miyamoto astheDisneybrand,that’sveryflatter- Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Mr. Soros was one of only two peo- fore I take no responsibility.” hasunleashedmassentertainmentwith ing and makes me happy to hear.’’ Mr. Miyamoto’s work is evolving ple there who predicted the American WhenMr.Sorosbecamerich,people aglobalbreadth,culturalenduranceand Mario, the mustached Italian plumb- from a reliance on invented characters economy was headed for a recession, beganlistening.Healsostartedgiving financial success unsurpassed since er he created almost 30 years ago, has and fanciful, outlandish settings. With he said. Afterward, he interrogated largesumstocharities,andinEastern Disney’sfabledcareer. become by some measures the planet’s games like Nintendogs, Wii Sports, Wii his portfolio managers and external Europe,astheSovietUnioncrumbled, IntheWest,chancesarethatMr. most recognized fictional character, ri- Fit and coming next, Wii Music, Mr. hedge funds that manage his fund’s hedistributedcopymachinestoen- Miyamoto would have started his own valed only by Mickey Mouse. He is the Miyamoto is gravitating toward every- money, and he took on newpositions couragefreespeechinhisnativeHun- companyalongtimeago.Hecouldhave creator of the Donkey Kong, Mario and day hobbies: pets, bowling, yoga, Hula- to hedge where they might have gone gary.Hehasgivenmorethan$5billion made billions and established himself Zelda series (which have collectively Hoop, music. wrong.Hislast-minutestrategiescon- away through his foundations. as an entertainment celebrity. Instead, sold more than 350 million copies), and “Iwouldsaythatoverthe last five tributedtoa32percentreturn—or YetevenMr.Sorosacknowledges despite being royalty at Nintendo and is the person who oversees every Nin- yearsorso,thetypes of games I cre- roughly $4 billion for the year. that many economists still slight his a cult figure, he seems like just another tendo game. atehaschangedsomewhat,”hesaid. The more Mr. Soros learned about theories.“Iamknownasahedgefund salaryman (though a particularly cre- But it isn’t just traditional gamers “Whereas before I could kind of use my thecrisis,themorecertainhebecame manager and I am known as a philan- ativeandhappyone)withawifeand who are flocking to Mr. Miyamoto’s lat- own imagination to create these worlds thatheshouldrebroadcasthistheories. thropist, and it’s very hard for, say, two children at home near Kyoto. est creation, the Wii. Eighteen months or create these games, I would say that Inthebook,Mr.Sorosfaultsregulators academicstoacceptthatahedgefund “What’s important is that the people ago, Mr. Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata, over the last five years I’ve had more of for allowing the buildup of the housing manager may actually have some- thatIworkwitharealsorecognized Nintendo’s chief executive, practically a tendency to take interests or topics in andmortgagebubbles.Heenvisions thing to say about economics,’’ Mr. andthatit’stheNintendobrandthat reinventedtheindustry.Theirideawas mylifeandtrytodrawtheentertain- a time, not so distant, when the dollar Soros said. “So that has been difficult goes forward and continues to become revolutionaryinitssimplicity:rather ment out of that.” is no longer the world’s main currency for me to overcome.’’

DAPHNE KOLLER “I spend most of my time thinking about Pursuing the Next Level of Artificial Intelligence things like how does a

By JOHN MARKOFF been used to improve computer vision the discipline of artificial intelligence. cell work or how do we PALO ALTO, California — Daphne systems and in understanding natural Recent developments in the field have Koller, a researcher at Stanford Univer- language. madepossiblespamfilters,Microsoft’s understand images in the sity whose work has led to advances in “She’sonthebleedingedgeofthe newClearFlowtrafficmapsandthe artificial intelligence, sees the world as leading edge,’’ said Gary Bradski, a ma- driverlessroboticcarsthatStanford world around us?” a web of probabilities. chinevisionresearcheratWillowGa- teams have built. There is, however, nothing uncertain rage, a robotics start-up firm in Menlo “WhenIstartedinthemid-tolate about her impact. Park, California. 1980s, there was a sense that numbers JIM WILSON/THE NEW YORK TIMES tem,’’shesaid.“Ispendmostofmytime A mathematical theoretician, she Ms. Koller was recently honored didn’t belong in A.I.,’’ she said. “People havior of a large number of genes that thinking about things like howdoes a has made contributions in areas like with a new computer sciences award didn’t think in numbers, so why should are active in a variety of tumors. From cell work or how do we understand im- robotics and biology. Her biggest ac- of $150,000 sponsored by the Associa- computers use numbers?’’ theresearch,scientistswereabletode- ages in the world around us?’’ complishment — and at age 39, she is tion for Computing Machinery and the Ms.Kollerisbeginningtoapplyher velop a new explanation of how breast Shetriestopersuadeundergraduates expected to make more — is creating a InfosysFoundation.Theawardcited algorithmsmoregenerallytohelpsci- tumors spread into bone. to stay in academia and not rush off to set of computational tools for artificial herresearchthathashelpedtransform entists discern patterns in vast collec- One potentially promising area to ap- become software engineers at start-up intelligence that can be used by scien- artificial intelligence from science fic- tionsofdata.“Theworldisnoisyand plyMs.Koller’stheoreticalworkwillbe companies. She acknowledges that the tists and engineers to do things like tion into an engineering discipline that messy,’’ Ms. Koller said. “You need to the emerging field of information ex- allure of Silicon Valley riches can be se- predict traffic jams, improve machine iscreatinganarrayofintelligentma- deal with the noise and uncertainty.’’ traction, which could be applied to Web ductive. vision and understand the way cancer chines and systems. In 2004, Ms. Koller That philosophy has led her to do re- searches. “My husband still berates me for not spreads. also received a $500,000 MacArthur search in game theory and artificial “I find it distressing that the view of havingjumpedontheGooglebandwag- Ms. Koller’s work, building on an Fellowship. intelligence, and more recently in mo- the field is that you sit in your office by on at the beginning,’’ she said. 18th-century theorem about probabil- Since arriving at Stanford as a pro- lecular biology. yourself surrounded by old pizza boxes Still, she insists she does not regret ity, has already had an important com- fessorin1995,Ms.Kollerhasledagroup Her tools led to a new type of cancer and cans of Coke, hacking away at the herdecision.“Ilikethefreedomtoex- mercial impact. Her techniques have of researchers who have reinvented gene map based on examining the be- bowels of the Windows operating sys- plore the things I care about,’’ she said.

Repubblica NewYork VIII MONDAY,JUNE2,2008

ARTS & STYLES How Civilization Arrived on Horseback

NEW YORK — Without horses, where would we be? Trousers might never have become fashionable. The violin might never have come into existence. The Aztecs might have thrived another few EDWARD centuries. The Indus- trial Revolution might ROTHSTEIN have sputtered out EXHIBITION before its time. And the REVIEW American Museum of Natural History would have had to find another subject for its sprawling, charming and illuminating RICHARD PERRY/THE NEW YORK TIMES exhibition: “The Horse.’’ Artifacts and artwork in “The The exhibition relies mainly on a Horse” from Iran, right, and history of the ways in which humans New York, above, show the links and horses became, as the show says, between humans and horses. “powerfully linked.’’ Those links may be as slight as fashions in clothing (trousers, we are told, were developed thropology at the Carnegie Museum of for the riding of horses) and as impor- Natural History in Pittsburgh, Penn- tant as the fate of empires (“Next to sylvania, this show makes it clear just God,’’ Cortés is supposed to have said how crucial a role the horse has played. about the conquest of Mexico, “we With the aid of dioramas, interviews, owed our victory to the horses.’’). marvelous computer graphics, varied Theexhibitionissuggestiveabout skeletons, archaeological finds, repro- theevolutionofthearts.(The13th-and ductions of cave paintings and objects 14th-century Mongols,whoheldtheir including a World War I gas mask for a RUBY WASHINGTON/THE NEW YORK TIMES immenseempiretogetherwiththeaid horse, the history of the horse becomes Now we are mainly aware of horses physiologically — something that, as Could interaction between humans ofthehorse,alsousedhairfromitstail humanized. through the remnants of horse-in- the exhibition notes, cannot be said of and any other animal bear this sort of to create the ancestor of the modern The majority of horse species origi- spired vocabulary, by the persistence the boar when it was transformed into examination? Dogs may inspire more violinbow.)Andit invites speculation nated in the Americas. About 10,000 of sports like polo and, as a video a domesticated pig, or the wolf into a intense and complex friendships, but about the course of technology. (The years ago, horses became extinct shows, from ceremonies from around domesticated dog. They were easily horses were almost more than com- IndustrialRevolutionultimatelydis- there, perhaps because of environ- the world that use the horse to dis- trained and relatively free from the panions; they were partners in agri- placed horse power with horsepower, mental change and overhunting. play power and grace. But the show territorial viciousness of related spe- culture, war, industry and commerce. but not before horses shared the burden From the moment horses were first reminds us just how recent a phenom- cies, like zebras. The ancient Greeks, the show points withmachines:ondisplayisahorse- used to pull chariots into battle (per- enon this diminution of importance is. Among the gentry of Europe, the out, might have been so surprised by drawn, steam-powered firetruck from haps 1500 B.C.) until their valedictory Recent archaeological research in domestication of the horse came to re- their first sight of warriors on horse- 19th-centuryPennsylvania.) cavalry campaigns in the Second northern Kazakhstan, displayed in flect personal cultivation and accom- back that they imagined that they were Created by Ross MacPhee, the cura- World War, horses were bound up in a diorama, suggests that the Botai plishment. The French, Spanish and centaurs. The exhibition almost seems tor of mammalogy in the Division of human warfare. Similarly with human people of Central Asia were among the English words for gentleman, the show to suggest that this mythology touches Vertebrate Zoology at the museum, welfare: In 1900, there were 130,000 first to domesticate horses. In domes- points out — chevalier, caballero and on a deeper truth: The connection is so and Sandra Olsen, the curator of an- horses working in Manhattan alone. tication, horses didn’t change much cavalier — all mean horseman. strong, we are all of us centaurs.

The Not-So-Secret Life Of Fleming, Ian Fleming

By JOHN F. BURNS versionofhimself,’’saidTerryChar- LONDON — Any writer who has man, the museum’s senior historian Acrassicauda, struggled to “do the words’’ would take and curator of the Bond exhibition. an Iraqi metal heartfromtheself-effacingassessment Also,itshowshowthedebonairFlem- band, fled written for himself by Ian Fleming, the ingdrewonhisexperiencesasaman to Turkey raffish Englishman born 100 years ago abouttownandasaprewarforeign inMaywhobecameoneofthemostsuc- correspondent, in the world of bank- after the cessful authors of his time through the ing and investment, in his postwar United States creation of the world’s best-loved spy, sojourns in Jamaica, and as a World invaded. James Bond. WarIIaidetotheheadofBritain’sdi- Fleming died in 1964, at 56, of com- rectorate of naval intelligence, to give plications from pleurisy after playing what he described as “verisimilitude’’ a round of golf in Oxfordshire though hehadaheavycold.Buttherealcul- pritswereyearsofsmokingupto80 cigarettes a day, and drinking heavily. Perhaps because of the difficulty he foundinresistinglife’sindulgences,

AHMET POLAT he adopted a strict writing routine in his last 12 years, the period in which he wrote more than a dozen Bond novels that spawned the multibillion-dollar Metalheads From Iraq, Eager to Rock Again film franchise. Risingearlyforaswimintheaqua- By MELENA RYZIK membersstruggletostaytogether drummer and designated spokesman; marine waters in the cove below his It was already an unlikely story: evenasIraqfallsapart.Theirrehears- TonyAziz,29,theleadguitarist;Faisal idyllicJamaicanretreat,Goldeneye, Around2000,agroupofIraqischool al space is bombed, their audience Talal, 25, the singer and rhythm gui- Fleming tapped away at his Reming- friends weaned on bootleg Metallica dwindles and eventually, they, too, tarist — and a cat share an apartment tonportabletypewriterwithsixfin- and Slayer tapes formed their own fleetoSyria, thentoTurkey.Two years over a kindergarten. Firas Al-Lateef, gers for three hours in the morning metalbandwithanimposingname, later, filmmakers and band members 27, the bassist, lives with his wife and andanhourintheafternoon—2,000 Acrassicauda (derived from the name have remained committed to one an- young son nearby. words a day, a completed novel in two HORST TAPPE/HULTON ARCHIVE — GETTY IMAGES of a species of black scorpion). other and to the youthful idealism of “We’re isolated, literally isolated,’’ months. The life of James Bond’s creator is Thoughtheirkindofmusicwases- the movie. Mr. Hussain said by telephone. Fleming,whosaw40millioncopiesof the subject of a London exhibit. sentially forbidden under Saddam “It was life-changing, nothing short Mr. Moretti admitted that he didn’t hisbookssoldinhislifetimebutdiedbe- Hussein’s regime, they managed to of,” Eddy Moretti, 36, a director of the know why the band members got into fore the Bond franchise became wildly performafewtimesforseveralhun- film,saidofmakingit.Inadditionto metalinthefirstplace.Insteadhe successful, had no literary pretensions. to Bond’s world of spies and villains dred fellow headbangers and consid- and his co-director, Suroosh Alvi, 39, He described his first Bond book, “Ca- and romance. ered themselves a center of the (deep- focusedoncapturingthebandmem- sino Royale,’’ as “an oafish opus,’’ and Of his Bond plots, Fleming, ever pro- ly) underground hardcore scene. bers’ experiences as metalheads first, offered further disparagement in a 1963 saic about his talent, said, “I extracted When American forces entered Adocumentaryfollows andasIraqissecond—thewayAcras- BBCradiointerview.“IfIwaitforthe them from my wartime memories, theircountryafewyearslater,they sicauda preferred. genius to come, it just doesn’t arrive,’’ dolled them up, attached a hero and a lost a lead singer — he fled to Canada musiciansastheircountry “Whenwestartedthebandwenever he said. Asked if Bond had kept him villain, and there was the book.’’ — but gained a new audience in West- said,‘Oh,we’refromIraq,maybewe from more serious writing, of the kind For M, Bond’s irascible, domineer- ern journalists eager to write about faces war and upheaval. should take advantage of it, be like cir- achieved by his older brother, Peter, a ing secret service overseer, he had as a localculture.Vicemagazine profiled cusfreaks,’’’Mr.Hussainsaid.“We’re renowned explorer and travel writer, model Rear Admiral John Godfrey, his the band in its January 2004 issue. In just like normal people, passionate he replied: “I’m not in the Shakespeare wartime intelligence chief. 2006,thecompany’smanagerstrav- about the music.’’ stakes. I have no ambition.’’ Bond himself, Fleming said, was “a eled to Baghdad for what was intended helping the band, he said, “the big am- Heavymetalappealedtohimforthe Fleming’s workaday approach to compound of all the secret agents and to be a short video starring the group. bition is to get people to change the same reason it has drawn millions of writing is among the revelations draw- commandos I met during the war,’’ Instead they turned the footage into a discourse on the war a little bit, to get adolescents the world over: pure, hon- ing crowds of Bond lovers to “For Your buthistastes—inblondes,martinis feature-length documentary, “Heavy people started talking about, wanting est rage. Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James “shaken, not stirred,’’ expensively Metal in Baghdad,’’ which opened re- toknowabout,theIraqirefugeesitu- “The life there, it doesn’t give you Bond,’’ an exhibition that opened at the tailored suits, short-sleeved shirts cently in New York. A DVD will be re- ation.’’ much choices and options,’’ he said. ImperialWarMuseuminLondonin andRolexwatches—wereFleming’s leased June 10. But for Acrassicauda’s members, “Wefindthatheavy-metalmusicat April and runs through March 2009. own. ThebandhasaMySpace now living in exile at Vice magazine’s firstisarelease.Laterwhenwegot The display explores the relation- But not all the comparisons were page at www.myspace.com/ expenseinIstanbul,thelifechange more mature about it, we found we can ship between Fleming and Bond, ex- ones the author liked to encourage. wwwacrassicaudas5com. was not uniformly positive. actually use it as a good guide to direct amining how much of the fictional spy Bond,hesaid,had“moregutsthanI The film follows Acrassicauda from Theband’sthreeunmarriedmem- and to say whatever you want, as loud isbuiltontheauthor’scharacter—the have’’ as well as being “more hand- 2003 to 2006 as the four remaining bers—MarwanHussain,23,the and as fast as you can.’’ degreetowhichBondwashis“fantasy some.’’

Repubblica NewYork