Frenchy68

If you insist... Edited to add: congrats Aussies! "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."

Beth is a blondie. Yes but is she covered in powdered sugar I think not She tastes sweet. "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."

Beth is a blondie. "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."

"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."

Actually Jan. 6th is just the day that greek orthodox churches celebrate the epiphany. Which could mean christ's nativity or his baptisim. I had always heard that if you look at the accounts of Christ's birth in the bible, it was most likely in the Fall Figures! 9 months after Valentine's day. "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, you didn't avoid my wrath. I'm short, remember? Ducking will only put you right where I want you! Sinker ~ Are you talking to me? I'm quite confused, now. "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."

HA! I knew it was coming. And I ducked, hence avoiding your fiendish blow, lady! Damn, I'm good! Watching them Tae-Bo infomercials paid off. "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."

YEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! I escaped the ! I rock! "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."

Assuming you mean Shanghai, I am packing alright. "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."

Oooops. I just set myself up for one big ass..........! "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."

Christmas: to celebrate the birth of pine trees Easter: to celebrate the revival of eggs Did I win anything? "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."

Check your spelling. It should read "My favoritstest" (whatever that is). "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 think it was posted on an older thread. Makes me wonder though: if he has a premature (deployment, that is), will it pull a Bobitt on him? "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."

Is that mount Fuji in the background? "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."

Come and visit anytime. And if there is a boogie that close, I'll definitely be there... I just licked your avatar. "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."

France is not a federation, but a Republic, much like US individual states. Same in France. Not being able to wear a burqa or veil does not prevent one from expressing his/her religious believes. But I agree with the silliness of dress codes. I totally agree. It is a sociological issue, not a religious one. "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."

Very true. There are schools in LA where certain colors (associated with gangs) are banned. There are also schools in the US where a certain dress code is being enforced. I, for one, would not claim that such restrictions make freedom of speech and expression inexistant in US schools. Whether it is a good thing or not that such itens are restricted is another debate. I doubt that the huge majority of rioters had any clear religious or political revendications. I think much like the rioting and looting in LA few years ago, it may have started as a spontanious movement (however violent and repressible it was), but degenerated into a free for all mob looting party with no clear agenda other than "doing what the others are doing". "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."

How 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."

IMO, the biggest obstacle to cut down unemployment in France is the rigidity of the employment laws. You can hire all you want, but can not layoff without express authorization of the local authorities (and indirectly the unions...). Which means that there is very little turnaround, and scores of young people with tons of diploma can not find qualified work, as sometimes underqualified people hold a position for years. Once in a while, when it gets really bad, the government will throw tax breaks or subsudies to companies to appease them, which does nothing to solve the problem in the long term. There are also some training and incentive programs for people on the dole. However, due to the fact that it is so hard to part with an employee who is not performing adequately, companies will use trainees until their contract expires, then thank them, and get a new trainee in. Cheap labor. And if one of them is qualified, it's unlikely he/she will be hired, as there is already someone (sometimes less qualified) under contract! Some kids spend years going from short term trainee contract to another. Like most society, there is a certain level of prejudice within French society. If you look at the history of France over the past 250 years, it's a succession of excesses: from a revolution that defines modern democracy to a dictator who brings slavery back, to a king, to another revolution, to another emperor, to the Dreyfus affair, to another republic, to Vichy and the deportation of thousands of jews, to another Republic, etc... Things in France change though extreme measures. When the economy kicks ass, people don't mind immigrants. When the shit hits the fan, they do. France needs more than a change of attitude towards immigrants. It needs to completely overhaul its social structure. I have many of them, but they probably sound better in my mind than they would be effective. I'm not quite sure to tell the truth... "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."

Actually, it's the other way round. French society has to stop using the "ostrich" policy of ignoring problems and throwing money at it hoping it will take care of itself. There are benefits to certain social programs, but they do very little against high unemployment rate and lack of creation of new jobs. The problem is that France is a fairly rigid society, where changes do not happen very quickly. Many governments have tried, and many have failed. "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."

Very good article. "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."

Couldn't agree more.

Next week end is my last as a resident of the US of A. Party in Perris, at the Bombshelter on Saturday night. All drinks are on me. Show up on Saturday morning, leave on Sunday, let's be crazy and jump from airplanes (no shit, it's doable!), and party hard on Saturday night.

Starting in the 60's, the Chinese government created "Friendship Stores". Essentially, shops where foreigners were allowed to purchase goods. It was a way to control what was being bought by foreigners. Nowadays, in main cities, these stores are about the only ones totally empty. People are too busy buying ¢50 DVDs, Mao souvenir lighters and watches, fake Rolex, silk outfits, real estate, booze, and for some, sex. However, there's still a big difference between the urban and rural society in China. There are still places in the countryside where foreigners are only allowed to shop in "Friendship stores", stay in "Foreigners hotels", etc... "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."

If the French had a term for it, they'd say it's déja vu. "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."