| Latest Commentary: | Volume VI, Number 98 |
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Feds Give NYC Transport Money, Want Congestion Charge for Manhattan -- The idea of paying to drive on the streets of Manhattan is one step closer to reality. The US Department of Transportation has approved a $350 million grant to improve transportation in New York City. In return, the New York authorities are going to have to approve some form of congestion pricing, like Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to charge cars $8 and trucks $21 to enter Manhattan below a certain street. The city can’t afford not to do this, and all of America should be watching.
First Minister Salmond Calls for Scottish Referendum on Full Independence -- Yesterday, the Scottish National Party published a White Paper suggesting that there should be a multi-option referendum on Scotland’s future in the UK. It proposes that voters choose from the status quo, enhanced powers for the Scottish assembly, or full independence. The move is a deft one by First Minister Alex Salmond as he doesn’t expect independence by Christmas. Instead, he wants to keep the issue at the forefront in Scotland for the next four years, and this will have significant impact on the UK as a whole. Mattel Recalls 9 Million Chinese-Made Toys in US -- Mattel, Inc., the largest toy company in the world, has a problem with its sourcing. As a result of lead paint on toys and powerful magnets that can be easily swallowed by kids, the toy maker is recalling millions of toys. The company CEO Robert Eckert issued a statement that read in part, “Our long record of safety at Mattel is why we’re one of the most trusted names with parents. And I am confident that the actions we are taking now will maintain that trust.” The problem isn’t with Mattel but with some of its Chinese suppliers. Kover’s New Translation of Dumas’ Georges Delights -- Alexandre Dumas is remembered largely for three books, The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask and The Count of Monte Cristo, and it is hard to argue that they aren’t memorable. There’s even a chocolate bar named after the former. However, Mr. Dumas left behind over 300 works, novels, plays and more. Because he wrote in French, and because translation of literature is a tricky business, few of his other works are accessible to Anglophones. To fill a part of this gap, Tina A. Kover has translated Georges  , which has been out of print in English for years and the only work of the mixed-race Frenchman to address the issue of race in the nineteenth century.
© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux. |
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