Reporters on the Job

• History Repeating? Correspondent Fred Weir was struck by the irony of today's story about a controversial art exhibit. Yuri Samodurov, the director of the Andrei Sakharov museum, runs an museum, as Fred describes it, "that's devoted to the underside of Soviet history - the gulags, repression of dissidents, etc." Now, the director - a former Soviet dissident - is making history. He's at the center of what some see as a new era of intolerance. "That's not the way he describes it, but it's starting to look that way," says Fred.

Fred notes, for example, that almost 30 years ago, Soviet police attacked an impromptu art exhibit that sprung up in Moscow.

• Economically Free: Despite political turbulence, Hong Kong retains the highest ranking for economic freedom, according to a global survey by the Cato Institute, a Washington-based group that advocates limited government.

Hong Kong is closely followed by Singapore. The US tied for third with New Zealand, Switzerland, and Britain. Other nations in the top 10: Australia, Canada, Ireland, and Luxembourg. Botswana's ranking at 18th is the best among sub-Saharan African nations. Chile, with the best record in Latin America, was tied with four other nations, including Germany, at 22nd. Associated Press reports the survey's key ingredients of economic freedom as personal choice, voluntary exchange, freedom to compete, and protection of person and property.

David Clark Scott
World editor