Frenchy68

Not a chance in a million years. The US would never do this, as they know it would mean China AND South Korea would be extremely pissed off. Neither country has forgotten nor forgiven what happened in the first half of the 20th century, and still abhor great dislike for Japan. Japan has never apologized for its actions, and some fear that arming Japan would take us back to where we were 100 years ago. China would step up its military arsenal (which already quite impressive), then so would its neighbours (Russia, Pakistan and India). South Korea would certainly develop its own as quickly as possible. Good times... "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Although a concern, the ones really scared about a collapse of the DPRK regime economically are the South Koreans. Chances are refugees would head south of the border, not North. Germany painfully swallowed reunification with East Germany, I doubt it would go as smoothly for the South Koreans. East Germans were light years ahead of the North Koreans economically. China can sceal its borders easily, which the SOuth Koreans couldn't do after preaching reunification for decades. A smooth, controlled transition is what everyone in the region hopes for, although it would probably take at least 30 years, so highly unlikely. Nuclear weapons in the DPRK are as much about political leverage in the DPRK as they are about military might. In the eyes of the regime, it gives them more weight in any negotiations sure to follow. The 5 other parties have to deal with Pyong Yang, or take the risk to see a new arms race in Asia, which the US, China and Russia will not tolerate. It's going to take endless negotiations, and sweet loan packages, but will probably bear fruits in 2 to 3 years. "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Way Cool!!! "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Have you tried the Gershwin hotel? It was well priced last time I stayed there. Right by Madisson Square. "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

I didn't slap you, lady! I punk-slapped you!!! (thank god I'm far, far, far away...) "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Happy Birthday girl!

Hey great idea. Maybe we could start dropping fried chicken with mashed potatos from Popeye's from a C-130 and then suddenly stop and switch to dropping munitions. No need. Popeye's delicacies are far more lethal to human organs than any known weapons. "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Blues, Dave I second that. Doctors say my broken ribs should be fully healed within 5 years or so... "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

I do not know the specifics of any of the programs, but the issue seems to be with schools with heavy immigrant population. I think it would make sense to have certain schools (or classes) with specific and realistic curriculum(s), target driven, so as to incorporate students facing specific needs (such as language issues, etc...) and bring them up to a certain level that allows them to integrate the education system and then overall society on an even foot. Doing so, however, does raise the issue of "special classes", etc... which is never a very popular issue, as it does raise costs. But in the long term, I wonder how more of a price we pay by ignoring the problem. I also believe society would have a lot more to gain from having better educated people (whom, in a whole, tend to have higher earning income jobs, therefore higher tax brackets) in the long term, even if such project may have a short term cost increase. Not a very popular stance on a political platform though... "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

That's a legitimate question. However, one of the issue raised in the article is whether a child who has been in the US say for 1 year can realistically be expected to perform as well as a child born and raised in the US. Lowering all to the "lowest common denominator" is obviously not a viable option, so how to raise the level of newcomers without excluding them altogether from the educational system. I don't think any country can afford to have a significant percentage of its population cast aside on grounds that have little to do with merit. The question is how to integrate this population in a realistic way, that enables its members to get a fair chance at higher education, etc... Me think. "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

I forgot you were on the West side of the rock. We're on the same time zone it seems... "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Considering it's early evening in Oz, why would he? What's your excuse? "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Supplied and good to go!

OK, wrong terminology, my mistake. The Yuan is "allowed" a daily of fluctuation of +/- 0.3% per day to the US Dollar. In that regards, the Yuan has been constantly gaining strength compared to the Dollar, which does not mean it does towards other currencies (if the US$ goes down compared to other currencies, so does the value of the CN¥ with it). However, there has been months where the CN¥ has gained over 1% on the US$, which is not neglectable. "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

She said Peach. I say lavendar. Up to you... "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

They won't. Nor will they side with the DPRK. They will do what is in China's interest. Which is certainly NOT having the DPRK have nuclear power. They will put pressure on their own term, and at the end, will probably have KJI renounce on nuclear power. My guess is that within12 to 15 months, the DPRK will announce that it has shelved its nuclear ambition. It will coincide with China, the US and the EU announcing a loan package to the fine people of North Korea. We are still at the positioning stage, albeit advanced. "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Just to clarify: the Yuan IS floated, but only ever slightly. The first time I came to China, it was $1=¥8.32 When I moved to China less than a year ago, it was around 1=8.05 "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

China has very little left of the communist doctrine. It is indeed an authoritarian state, albeit a fairly "enlighten" one, and changing rapidly. Not withstanding all the sad effects an authoritarian regime can have on some of its people, China has the advantage of not doing what Russia is, and is in a period of transition. Indeed it is, as it is only very slightly floated on the markets. However, both China and THE REST OF THE WORLD would fear an overnight re-evaluation of the Yuan. The Chinese economy would collapse, and so would many other foreign economies. The Yuan currently stands at around $1=¥7.9. It real value is probably around 1 to 5. It will probably be fully tradable within 7 years or so, which will enable China to control the re-evaluation of the currency. Also, the Chinese government is trying to ensure the country does not get raped by foreign investors (although Taiwanese and Hong Kongeses are already getting a pretty nice part of the loot). And yes, Tiananmaen was a tragedy. However, in a very ironic way, it probably enabled China to pursue its economic and political reforms. By acting on the events the way Deng Xia Ping did, he kept the hard liners from regaining control of the regime. But that's a subject for another thread I guess... "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Not quite sure it would be good for anyone. China has access to the DPRK's leadership, and the US and Europe et al need this. You're definitely right. I think actually China wouldn't care much. They would benefit from a wealthier North Korea much more than they do with the current situation. China is about as close to the DPRK ideologically as is the US. Which means pretty damn far... If China can prevent it, it will. I thnk they would be as pissed off as anyone else if the DPRK has nuclear power. "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Then we make the mistake of accepting the label they gave themselves. The "D" in DPRK stands for "Democratic", which we all agree is not the political system in North Korea. However, we do not label all "democratic" branding as a negative thing. By allowing people to usurp the term (some by calling themselves "liberals", others by bashing "liberals"), we manage to marginilize a concept which was in the essence of the founding of the US. Sad me think... "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Why not stick to the original definition of the term? One (of many) definition found on the web: Liberalism: A political theory founded on the natural goodness of humans and the autonomy of the individual and favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority. Does it imply that people who despise liberals are opposed to the above concepts? "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Although the end is the same, I tend to think that the political label of "liberal" as been applied to people who do not qualify as such (some have also usurped the title). So, how are true liberals called nowadays? "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

No, the US was founded on the notion of "libertarianism" which is not the same as "liberal". Merriam-Webster's definition of Liberal I always thought the above characterized the founding fathers. Not to say that being liberal (by its original meaning) rules out being a libertarian. I just feel the meaning of the word has somewhat been distorted in recent years. I don't see how any of the original principles of liberalism would negatively impact the US today, as some seem to imply it does. "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

Considering the US was founded by liberals, I wonder what definition of the term some people use to find it such an abject concept. "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."