Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire .  AN EMERGING nation looks increasingly confident as a player on the world stage, thanks to a mixture of commercial prowess and deft diplomacy. In its capital and in coastal cities, you can feel the excitement as small manufacturers, retailers and middlemen find new partners across the sea. But the country’s masters face a dilemma: the very technology, communications and knowhow that are boosting national fortunes also threaten to undermine the old power

The platypus has always been considered odd. Not only does it have webbed feet, a tail like a beaver’s, a coat of fur, and a large bill, but it also lays eggs and nurses its offspring through a set of glands on its abdomen. Biologists classify the platypus as a monotreme, an egg-laying mammal with a single opening for reproduction and excretion. But is it truly a mammal? http://louis0j0sheehan0esquire.wordpress.com

A draft of the genetic sequence of Glennie [subscription required], a

Major forest fires in the western United States have become more frequent and destructive over the past 2 decades. The trend has occurred in step with rising average temperatures in the region. http://louiskjksheehan.blogspot.com

"Climate change in the West is a reality," says Thomas Swetnam of the University of Arizona in Tucson. "Now, we're starting to see the effects."

Earlier spring snowmelts, which kick off longer fire seasons, account for the trend, he says. The melt's timing