Answer to Question 1
Semiperipheral nations are large or have some special resources. They fall somewhere between the core and peripheral nationsless dependent on the core nations and sometimes acting as core nations themselves. They are also known as third-world or less-developed countries.
Answer to Question 2
Unions have been facing increased hostility from the U.S. public, especially when they demand sizable pay increases in times of high unemployment. This hostility reflects a growing concern that unions have concentrated so much power in their organizations that they can raise wages, and therefore prices, to levels having little relationship to actual worker productivity.