Economist, Sept 28, 2013 (I)

choi

(1) China in space | How Long a Reach? The International Astronautical Congress is meeting in Beijing. But what, exactly, does China want from outer space?
http://www.economist.com/news/sc ... eijing-what-exactly

Quote: "In July China National Space Administration (CNSA) "launched a trio of satellites, allegedly as part of a project to clean up space near Earth by removing orbital debris. * * * One of the newly launched probes was indeed equipped with a robotic arm of the sort that might pick up space litter. The other two were, the story went, to stand in for bits of debris. But once initial tests were over, the satellite with the robotic arm made a number of unusual manoeuvres and approached not one of the devices it was launched with, but rather an ageing satellite in a different orbit—just the sort of behaviour that would be useful if you wanted to eliminate an observation or communication satellite belonging to another country.

Note:
(a) International Astronautical Federation (IAC; opened MOnday, Sept 23, 2013) "is a place where eager boffins can discuss everything from the latest in rocket design and the effects of microgravity on the thyroid to how best an asteroid might be mined and how to weld metal for fuel tanks."
(i) boffin (n; origin unknown; First Known Use 1945):
"chiefly British :  a scientific expert; especially :  one involved in technological research"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boffin
(ii) micro-g environment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-g_environment
(often referred to by the term microgravity)
(b) Chang'e 3 "will collect and analyse samples of lunar regolith (the crushed rock on the Moon’s surface that passes for soil there)."

regolith
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regolith
(section 1 Etymology)

choi

(2) Marine ecology | Sea Wolves; Sharks, it seems, are necessary for the ecological health of coral reefs.
http://www.economist.com/news/sc ... lth-coral-reefs-sea

Note:
(a) "FOR decades, rangers in Yellowstone National Park, in the American West, had to cull the area

choi

(3) Migration  | The Mobile Masses; The costs and benefits of mass immigration
http://www.economist.com/news/bo ... ation-mobile-masses
(book review on Paul Collier, Exodus: How Migration is Changing Our World. Oxford University Press, 2013)

Quote:

"Most polemics about migration argue either that it is good or bad. They address the wrong question, says Mr Collier. The right one is: how much more migration would be beneficial, and to whom?

"Those who move from poor countries to rich ones quickly start earning rich-country wages * * * 'Their productivity [measured by earning per hour] rockets upwards,' says Mr Collier, because they are 'escaping from countries with dysfunctional social models.' This is a crucial insight. Bar a few oil sheikhdoms, rich countries are rich because they are well organised, and poor countries are poor because they are not. * * * When a rich country lets in immigrants, it is extending to them the benefits of good governance and the rule of law.

"For most citizens of rich countries, immigration has meant slightly higher wages, as fresh brains with new ideas make local firms more productive. It may have dragged down wages for the least-skilled, but only by a tiny amount.

"Britain [] is nearly 90% white * * * but one cannot help noticing that the most diverse part of the country—London, which is less than 50% white British—is also by far the richest. It is also rather livelier than the lily-white counties that surround it.

Note: "A rich country that invited all and sundry to live off the dole would not stay rich for long."

sundry (pronoun; plural in contruction):
"an indeterminate number <recommended for reading by all and sundry — Edward Huberman>"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sundry

The term "plural in contruction" means the word is "construed"--whose corresponding noun is "construction"--as plural.