Word: idea
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Dates: during 1990-1990
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...midst of this rule-bound spartanism, every visiting foreigner is taken to see the showcases of "social construction": the Tower of the Juche (self-reliance) Idea, embellished with carvings of the kimilsungia flower; a 70-ft. bronze statue of the Great Leader, before which women mutter prayers; an Arch of Triumph larger than Paris' Arc de Triomphe. Subway stations are opulent, with fireworks-shaped chandeliers, granite pillars, 250-ft. mosaics, and marble passageways and platforms. Yet many of the imperial structures have a slightly wistful, wasteful air: the enormous 150,000-seat May First Stadium, built in the stillborn hope...
...Gloria Steinem. She wasn't doing it to prove a point." Watson describes her anger when she was told in the early 1980s that she could not be a supervisor in an investigative division because it was "too tough a job for a woman." But she rejected the idea of filing a job- bias complaint. "My sense was that if I were to throw a tantrum," she explains, "it probably wouldn't be an effective strategy. Catching flies with honey was a better approach...
...away from controversy. At a recent council meeting, the police chief stood by her rank and file and politely dissented from portions of the mayor's proposals to the state legislature. The issue was an arcane question of police arbitration procedures, but the symbolism was apparent. "You have no idea how rare it is for a department director to disagree with the mayor," says councilman Vince Ryan. "I don't think Whitmire was real pleased. But the only way she could fire the chief is because of a terrible gaffe." Still, Watson is aware of the risks: "I remember saying...
Some of the women who tried to break the ban on driving had petitioned Riyadh's governor, Prince Salman, in advance. The women were advised to cancel the idea or at least wait a few months. "I agree with what they tried to do," says a highly placed Saudi, "but their timing was terrible." Now it appears that the timing for any major social changes may not be right for years...
...Gorbachev skirted many other issues. He called for "urgent measures" to end the worsening food shortages, but offered no new ideas. In his State of the Union address, Gorbachev merely defended the watered-down reform package that was passed in October and has since been not only derided but largely ignored. He implored the republics to stop reversing his economic decrees; in fact, he added, the Supreme Soviet should enact a moratorium on all independence-oriented legislation. But the idea that any such ban would be obeyed is so farfetched as to call into question whether Gorbachev understands...