It remains diverse today, and not in a way that is likely to facilitate popular rule once the forcing function of an American military presence is done.

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Another potential rub in welcoming world finance is the rule-of-law problem: Capital markets function on trust, and welshing on derivatives contracts, for example, is not conducive to bringing big money to the mainland.

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Confirming a widely-held rule of thumb, German researchers found that the deterioration in motor function of athletes after long trips lingered for roughly as many days as the number of time zones they crossed.

ECONOMIST: Travel and athletic performance: Road warriors | The