Economist, Apr 4, 2015 (III)

choi

(1) Martin Westlake, Letter to editor: Children of War.
www.economist.com/news/letters/21647580-letters-editor
("Isao Takahata’s film, 'Grave of the Fireflies,' released in 1988 and animated by the great Studio Ghibli, provides a chillingly graphic, but non-judgemental, portrayal. It is based on Akiyuki NOSAKA’s 野坂 昭如 [1930- ] autobiographical novel of the same name, recounting raids on Kobe in March 1945")

Note:
(a)
(i) Isao TAKAHATA  高畑 勲
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isao_Takahata
(1935- ; has earned critical international acclaim for his work as a director of anime films. Takahata is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli along with long-time collaborative partner Hayao Miyazaki 宮崎 駿)
(ii) The Chinese and Japanese pronunciations of 勲 is "kun" and "isa-o," respectively.
(iii) Japanese English dictionary
hatake (P), hata 畑 【はたけ(P); はた】 (n): "field (for fruits, vegetables, etc)" (NOT a rice paddy, that is, that will be submerged under water--but a dry one)

(b)
(i) Studio Ghibli
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Ghibli
(section 1 Name)
(ii) English dictionary
ghibli (n; Early 19th century: from Arabic qiblī southern): "a hot, dry southerly wind of North Africa"
www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/ghibli

(c) Grave of the Fireflies  火垂るの墓
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies

choi

(2) Microsoft at middle age | Opening Windows; A once-dominant software giant is determined to prove that life begins again at 40.
www.economist.com/news/business/ ... ns-again-40-opening

My comment: There is no need to read the test. View only the last graphic, whose heading is "From Big Blue [IBM], to mightly Microsoft, to Apple's Ascendancy."


(3) Steelmaking  |  Twin Peaks; China's Steel production and consumption may soon start falling.
("For three decades, China has been a steelman's paradise. Years of double-digit economic growth and relentless urbanisation gave the country an increasing appetite for the alloy. * * * Alas, the ferrous fiesta may soon fade." [China's GDP growth rates, investments in infrastructure and property market slow or drop])

My comment: The title "Twin Peaks" (originally the title of a TV series, 1990-1991) alludes, here, to China's steel production and consumption both look like reaching a peak each and may soon level off or drop. But judging from the graphic that came with the article, the conclusion is based on 2013 and 2014 comparison (about the same in both categories), though the educated guess based on the macroeconomics (China's slowing economy) is more important than the graphic.