「興建北宜直線鐵路，也等於為政府化解花蓮人要求興建蘇花高的壓力，」宜蘭縣長呂國華表示，北宜直線鐵路如果完工，不但解決宜蘭的交通問題，也縮短台北到花蓮一小時車程，對花蓮人是一項利多。

「中央官員一看到我，就會說『我知道，你來又是為興建北宜直線鐵路的事』，」呂國華說，每逢總統、行政院長、交通部長到宜蘭，只要來一次，他就會爭取一次，有時還沒有開口，中央官員就知道他要講什麼了。

他說，民國九十五年初他剛當選縣長，環保署就否決興建北宜直線鐵路環評報告，他連解釋的機會都沒有，他背負縣民期盼，覺得壓力好大；交通部同意重新規畫路線的消息傳出後，昨天有民眾興奮地緊握他的手不放，他總算對縣民有交代。

「我們宜蘭人並不貪心！」立委林建榮說，民國八十五年，他就向交通部爭取興建北宜直線鐵路，被交通部譏為「太貪心」，因為當時政府已要建北宜高速公路了；現在北宜高逢假日必塞，證明他當初的堅持沒有錯。

「終於可H實現張川田（已故民進黨籍宜蘭立委）的遺願了，」林建榮說，爭取興建北宜直線鐵路，是張川田念茲在茲的事，大家不分黨派，都希望能爭取建北宜直鐵；交通部重新規畫北宜直鐵路線，他足可告慰昔日政壇戰友。

但花蓮縣旅館商業同業公會理事長魏錦水認為興建北宜直鐵是「浪費公帑」，對於北宜直鐵能紓解興建蘇花高的壓力，更認為是「白癡說法」。

魏錦水說，北宜直線鐵路跟蘇花高是兩回事，現在蘇花公路是最大的公路瓶頸，遊覽車視蘇花公路為畏途，才需要建蘇花高；如果建了北宜直線鐵路就停建蘇花高，他反對到底。

Enzymes are generally globular proteins and range from just 62 amino acid residues in size, for the monomer of 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase, to over 2,500 residues in the animal fatty acid synthase. A small number of RNA-based biological catalysts exist, with the most common being the ribosome; these are referred to as either RNA-enzymes or ribozymes. The activities of enzymes are determined by their three-dimensional structure. However, although structure does determine function, predicting a novel enzyme's activity just from its structure is a very difficult problem that has not yet been solved.

Most enzymes are much larger than the substrates they act on, and only a small portion of the enzyme (around 3–4 amino acids) is directly involved in catalysis. The region that contains these catalytic residues, binds the substrate, and then carries out the reaction is known as the active site. Enzymes can also contain sites that bind cofactors, which are needed for catalysis. Some enzymes also have binding sites for small molecules, which are often direct or indirect products or substrates of the reaction catalyzed. This binding can serve to increase or decrease the enzyme's activity, providing a means for feedback regulation.

Like all proteins, enzymes are made as long, linear chains of amino acids that fold to produce a three-dimensional product. Each unique amino acid sequence produces a specific structure, which has unique properties. Individual protein chains may sometimes group together to form a protein complex. Most enzymes can be denatured — that is, unfolded and inactivated — by heating or chemical denaturants, which disrupt the three-dimensional structure of the protein. Depending on the enzyme, denaturation may be reversible or irreversible.

The United States and China hold the best hope for leading a global economic recovery, yet they may lack sufficient strength to firmly pull the world out of recession.

President Barack Obama warned fellow world leaders at the Group of 20 summit in London that they should not count on "voracious" U.S. consumers generating the level of demand that helped drive eight years of strong global economic growth.

But without an obvious growth engine to replace flagging American consumption, the global economy appears headed for a prolonged slump followed by only a tepid rebound.

"It is going to be a difficult paradox for the world, with the economy at the epicenter of the crisis -- the United States -- still being seen as the savior of the world at large," said Eswar Prasad, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Many of us have come to understand that it is the powers of nature rather than spooks in the sky that drives all species to compete for survival, and realize that we must devise ways to overcome the need to compete for the earthly resources that sustain our livelihood. We now have the transportation and communication technology to govern the planet with a single administration, and could prevent the costs and sorrows of war by uniting the nations. Then we would no longer need large populations to supply us with plentiful cannon fodder, or the modern technical weaponry to defeat each other with. By eliminating the need for trade and immigration restrictions we could save still more. By offering such huge savings to the public we should, in effect, be able to bribe the masses into abandoning their attempts to gain legislated advantages over each other. By so doing, we could additionally save the enormous expense of holding periodic elections, and the high salaries and perks of the representatives that gain their support through providing the majorities with legislation that economically appeases them: ridding ourselves of the scoundrels that lead us to commit such atrocities upon each other.

Without politicians and governmental programs for the unemployable, we would have to revert back to the times where family groups cared for their own invalids and elders, and with the tax money retained, could again provide assistance or disability insurance for the truly needy. This would prevent the present welfare scams, and second generations that become accustomed to living on the dole: for relatives wouldn't continue to slave for those that were inconsiderate of them. People should be more concerned with the able bodied, and strive to prevent further deterioration of the planet's life supporting environment. As well we must use our advancing intelligence to overcome our need to compete, rather than by using our animalistic instincts to compete to the best of our ability. Avoiding remaining our own worst enemy, and providing ourselves with an environment where we are able to respect each others equality through taking the initiative to use our advancing wisdom and abilities to guide our civilization to its highest potential for all time. However, don't vote for me, I'm only trying to tell you how you should run the whole shebang. It is you that must learn to lead yourselves: rather than be led to an untimely end, like a herd of sheep. Probably we should arrange to have weekly gatherings and use modern communication devises as we do in the present, to convert us from our present national, political, and religious conflictions, to bring us to the bountifulness that a species that is one of mind and purpose can provide for itself.

The Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress on Thursday approved budget blueprints embracing President Barack Obama's agenda but leaving many hard choices until later and a government deeply in the red.

With no Republican support, the House of Representatives and Senate approved slightly different, less expensive versions of Obama's $3.55 trillion budget plan for fiscal 2010, which begins on October 1. The differences will be worked out over the next few weeks.

Obama, who took office in January after eight years of the Republican Bush presidency, has said the Democrats' budget is critical to turning around the recession-hit U.S. economy and paving the way for sweeping healthcare, climate change and education reforms he hopes to push through Congress this year.

Obama, traveling in Europe, issued a statement praising the votes as "an important step toward rebuilding our struggling economy." Vice President Joe Biden, who serves as president of the Senate, presided over that chamber's vote.

Enzymes are generally globular proteins and range from just 62 amino acid residues in size, for the monomer of 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase, to over 2,500 residues in the animal fatty acid synthase. A small number of RNA-based biological catalysts exist, with the most common being the ribosome; these are referred to as either RNA-enzymes or ribozymes. The activities of enzymes are determined by their three-dimensional structure. However, although structure does determine function, predicting a novel enzyme's activity just from its structure is a very difficult problem that has not yet been solved.

Most enzymes are much larger than the substrates they act on, and only a small portion of the enzyme (around 3–4 amino acids) is directly involved in catalysis. The region that contains these catalytic residues, binds the substrate, and then carries out the reaction is known as the active site. Enzymes can also contain sites that bind cofactors, which are needed for catalysis. Some enzymes also have binding sites for small molecules, which are often direct or indirect products or substrates of the reaction catalyzed. This binding can serve to increase or decrease the enzyme's activity, providing a means for feedback regulation.

Like all proteins, enzymes are made as long, linear chains of amino acids that fold to produce a three-dimensional product. Each unique amino acid sequence produces a specific structure, which has unique properties. Individual protein chains may sometimes group together to form a protein complex. Most enzymes can be denatured — that is, unfolded and inactivated — by heating or chemical denaturants, which disrupt the three-dimensional structure of the protein. Depending on the enzyme, denaturation may be reversible or irreversible.

The International Space Station (ISS) is a research facility currently being assembled in Low Earth Orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998, and is scheduled to be complete by 2011, with operations continuing until around 2015. As of 2009, the ISS is the largest artificial satellite in Earth orbit, larger than any previous space station.

The ISS programme is a joint project among the space agencies of the United States (National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA), Russia (Russian Federal Space Agency - RKA), Japan (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency - JAXA), Canada (Canadian Space Agency - CSA) and ten European nations (European Space Agency - ESA). The Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) participates through a separate contract with NASA. The Italian Space Agency (ASI) similarly has separate contracts for various activities not done within the framework of ESA's ISS projects (where Italy also fully participates). China has reportedly expressed interest in the project, especially if it would be able to work with the RKA, although as of 2009, it is not involved.

The space station is in a Low Earth Orbit, and can be seen from Earth with the naked eye. It orbits at an altitude of approximately 350 km (190 nautical miles) above the surface of the Earth, travelling at an average speed of 27,700 kilometres (17,210 mi) per hour, completing 15.7 orbits per day.

The ISS has been continuously staffed since the first resident crew, Expedition 1, entered the station on 2 November 2000. This has provided a permanent human presence in space for the last 8 years, 175 days. At present, the station has the capacity for a crew of three. However, to fulfil an active research programme, it will be staffed by a resident crew of six beginning with Expedition 20. The crew of Expedition 19 is currently aboard.

Early crew members all came from the Russian and American space programmes until German ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter joined the Expedition 13 crew in July 2006, becoming the first crew member from another space agency. The station has been visited by astronauts from 16 different nations, and it was the destination of the first six space tourists.

The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde aircraft was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport (SST). It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and British Aircraft Corporation. First flown in 1969, Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued for 27 years.

Concorde flew regular transatlantic flights from London Heathrow (British Airways) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (Air France) to New York JFK and Washington Dulles, profitably flying these routes at record speeds, in less than half the time of other airliners. Concorde also set many other records, including the official FAI "Westbound Around the World" and "Eastbound Around the World" world air speed records. Concorde was the more successful of the only two supersonic airliners to have ever operated commercially, the Tupolev Tu-144 being the other. The Tu-144 was nicknamed "Concordski" by Western Europeans for its outward similarity to Concorde. Soviet espionage efforts had resulted in the theft of Concorde blueprints, ostensibly to assist in the design of the Tu-144. The Tu-144 ultimately flew first, achieved a higher maximum speed, but was hampered by higher fuel requirements that restricted its range compared to Concorde.

With only 20 aircraft ultimately built, the costly development phase represented a substantial economic loss. Additionally, Air France and British Airways were subsidised by their governments to buy the aircraft. As a result of the type's only crash (on 25 July 2000), world economic effects arising from the 9/11 attacks, and other factors, operations ceased on 24 October 2003. The last "retirement" flight occurred on 26 November 2003.

Concorde remains an icon of aviation history, and has acquired an unusual nomenclature for an aircraft. In common usage in the United Kingdom, the type is known as "Concorde" rather than "the Concorde" or "a Concorde".