“Not a Genuine Alternative”

SPIEGEL interview with Robert Priddle, executive director of the International Energy Agency, on the oil price explosion, the use of strategic oil reserves and the future of the OPEC cartel:

“We committed ourselves to collective stockpiling in order to bridge bottlenecks in supply, not to regulate the market. … Ultimately the price must be determined by supply and demand, not by the calculations and expectations of consumers and producers. We are opposed to government intervention. … But the interests of OPEC’s members states are by no means in harmony with each other. Eventually the tension will break out again. … Well-founded scenarios indicate that it should be possible to increase the proportion of renewable energy to 50 percent by the middle of the century, if the right decisions are made in plenty of time.”

“A Case of Expropriation Every Day”

SPIEGEL-Interview with Brazilian president Enrique Cardoso on the battle against corruption, the destruction of the rainforests and the transformation undergone by capitalism in South America:

“We have a special situation in Brazil: Congress is very strong, but the parties are weak, and there are too many of them. Members of parliament of every shade come to my doorstep whenever they want money. This lobbyism lacks values, lacks a political vision. … Last year slash-and-burn clearing in the Amazon region dropped by 30 percent. We have introduced an early warning system and improved the education of the population. … I was against the mechanical view that developing countries are one-sidedly dependent on industrial nations. Capitalism has changed, we are now experiencing the industrialisation of the periphery. The industrial nations are investing into the periphery because they need new markets. … I would like to be recognised as a man who laid the foundations for a more democratic and more active society.”

“Stalin’s Last Column”

Moldova: Ten years after its proclamation, the Dniester Republic in Eastern Moldova is still struggling to survive. Stalin separated Transdniester from Ukraine in 1940, adding it on to Moldavia. But the largely Russian or Ukrainian Transdniestrians don’t want anything to do with their fellow citizens on the other bank of the Dniester, most of whom speak Rumanian, use the Latin alphabet and strive towards the West. In 1992, this led to a war in which the Russian army intervened in favour of the separatists. Hundreds were killed during the fighting which ultimately resulted in a grotesque situation: the former Cold War frontier now cuts straight through Moldova.

“Taxi to Space”

Space technology: A Russian company wants to launch satellites into orbit from an aeroplane – at an incredibly low cost. The idea is this: an Antonov 124 transport plane takes on board a rocket which can carry a payload of up to 3.5 tonnes. At an altitude of about ten kilometres it jettisons its cargo. Six seconds later, the rocket’s engine fires, shooting it into orbit together with its payload.

“Rocket Cars for the Super-rich”

Luxury: VW and Mercedes are targeting the buying power of rich heirs with their extreme sports cars costing well over half a million marks. Porsche has responded to the arms race by presenting a super two-seater with a top speed of over 330 kph – yet it is the only manufacturer to distrust the heedless mania for more horse-power.

“Matter in the Wrong Place”

Hygiene: Novel miracle cloths promise cleanliness without effort or chemicals. The magical sales claim contains a core of truth. Modern cleaning rags are a masterpiece of technology. Microfibres are woven to form cloths which remove grease and dust from smooth surfaces without causing smearing. Even the tiniest particles are picked up and get trapped by the cloth’s countless capillaries. Manufacturers are claiming that soap is therefore redundant.

“Paradise Bought”

Environment: Disappointed by state-managed conservation, environmental activists are buying South Sea atolls, rainforests and lakeland countryside in order to protect these forever from being destroyed. They are trying to transfer commercial mechanisms to nature conservation. The price of such cheque-book conservation is an alliance with industry.

“Doping for the Brain”

Musicology: German researchers have discovered that years of practising the piano or cello alters parts of the cerebral cortex in professional musicians. It even promotes intelligence. The scientists have found that the areas of the brain involved in hearing and movement are interlinked in professional musicians. Stimulating just one of the two areas is enough to automatically activate the other too. Years of playing a musical instrument also increases the intermeshing of nerve cells in the hearing centre. Even the emotions produced while listening to music can be measured by an EEG.

“Beloved Stout Lady”

Architecture: Half-time in the reconstruction of Dresden’s Frauenkirche. Millions in donations from all over the world are flowing into the archaeological reconstruction of the spectacular building – balm on the wounded souls of the Kohl generation. People from different countries, speaking different languages, stand outside the building-site fence, fascinated and stunned, almost as if they were looking at one of the Wonders of the World, marvelling at something that no software and no world exhibition can offer them: a piece of architectural history is being enacted before their very eyes, though with modern means, an act from the book of civilisation. This is precisely the great attraction of the reconstruction: the more authentic the final product, the greater the sense of identification.

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Estonian prime minister Mart Laar on a united Europe and Estonia’s membership in the European Union:

“We have our own, ambitious concept for moving this country ahead. We don’t need any help from Brussels for that. We want to conclude the membership negotiations in the year 2001. … For us, the main objective is indeed to achieve security for this country. Of course, it is easier for Estonia to deal with our large neighbour in the East as a member of the EU. … What is important to me is that Europe is not only an economic alliance, but also has a cultural and historical identity. … From our neighbours, the Finns, we have learned how a small country can establish itself very successfully in the EU. Like Finland, Estonia will soon qualify for membership in the European currency union.”