Frenchy68

He's also in the running for the MLB World Series MVP! "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."

It actually seems that in few parts of the world, there are older people who seem to be somewhat immune, which could mean that a similar strain did hit these parts several decades ago (although I believe this was only an observation, not a medical fact as of few weeks ago). However, I seem to remember that this was quite localized, so older people in general are probably not any more immune to this strain than younger people. "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."

True. However, as it is a new strain, no one's immune system is prepared for it. So although this particular strain doesn't seem to be particularly lethal (as long as it doesn't mutate into a more potent strain), it is extremely contagious. To a point where the question is probably not whether or not you will contract it, but when. More so than people having flu, what seems to worry various authorities the most is having a huge majority of the population having the flu at the same time. Surely having 80% of the work force (police department, firefighters, bank employees, hospital staff, etc...) at home slurping chicken soup at the same time is not good news. Hence the vaccine... "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."

The guys from Majestic Force are pretty awesome. And man, can they do a PLF or what? Unless, of course, they are being chased by an angry chicken... "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."

D1120? What origin might that be? "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."

And he also has the ability to make the characters in his movie be... characters! Not demeaning Waltz' amazing performance, his part was brilliantly written. I personally consider Tarantino as as one of a handful of directors who define great film making, alongside Kubrick, Welles, and the likes... "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."

Am pretty darned sure that I wouldn't want to start a new life there, but one general destination that I would love to explore is the Silk Road to the Tian Shan Mountains around the Taklamakan desert. /Marg Mind bogglingly beautiful! Then a little detour to the Karakorum and Lake Karakul... "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."

Apples and oranges, John. In North Korea, there is total indoctrination that few of us can even fathom. Every apartment in Pyong Yang has a speaker broadcasting propaganda 24/7. It can be dimmed down at night, but never turned off. Only few privileged party apparatchik have a computer, internet, or a cell phone. The whole society is built around mind control. In China (a market economy BTW), the average Chinese call around the world don his/her cell phone, access the internet, etc... And there is lots of dissent (next to where I work, there are demonstrations against some government policy or another on a monthly basis). It is still an authoritarian regime, but more in the line of (most of) Europe in the 19th century. Nothing to do at all with the North Korean regime. I don't know about Iran, but I reckon it's closer to the Chinese type of authoritarianism than the North Korean's. "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."

One of the greatest book ever written in my opinion. I read mostly fiction, with once in a while historical or geo-political books. I just finished reading The autumn of the patriarch (Garcia Marquez), moving on to "Les 10,000 marches" (the 10,000 steps?) by Lucien Bodard. "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."

It is! I just went on the site, and my computer has been acting weird since. It even tried raping me! On a serious note, I can't seem to get to the page they are referring to. Could anyone post a link? Or does one have to be a registered car dealer to have access to the secret baby-eating kitten-killing window? "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."

Makes for a good chain email, but the number of staffers cited at the bottom of it may be incorrect. It seems Jackie K had around 40 staff members; Laura Bush certainly had in excess of 10; etc... Don't trust chain or mass emails (unless of course they come from the widow of a rich deceased dictator from Africa asking for help disposing of his wealth...) "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."

it's all about silhouettes and shadows! "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."

You already have a pic of it as your avatar: two hard nipples with a ring. "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."

The last few days of the tour would have been more interesting if Contador didn't have to care about his teammates and Andy Schleck about his brother. Contador was dominant this year, and if he remains at this level in the next few year, I don't see how anyone could beat him. Great performance. "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 mostly do not care. It is seen as far away events for the majority of the population. When pressed, they will regret that groups are threatening the "social harmony" so dear to the Hu administration. But the official press as well as the government were careful not to accentuate the ethnic aspect of the riots so as not to exacerbate the situation. It was presented as a small group of separatist extremist (and AQ operators) pressing a political agenda, and much attention was paid not to assimilate the Uyghur as an ethnic group with the rioters. The "50 cent army" and its written press counterpart were quick to point the finger at terrorist groups as well as the Western, accused of meddling in Chinese internal affairs (never heard that one before...). Tibetans, who have more similarities with the Han majority (especially when it comes to religion), are seen more as "cousins" who were "liberated" from a feudal system. Whereas Uyghurs are definitely considered as a totally different culture than the Han's. The recent events in Xinjiang (including those leading to the Olympics last year) are much more troublesome for the government than those in Tibets, as they pertain to a purely internal issue between two totally different cultures. Tibet is more of an international PR issue for the Chinese government. Definitely. It is cultural and nationalistic much more than religious, but AQ and similar groups are trying to "recuperate" the movement. They're hoping to be seen as leaders of a cause which currently does not have a clear cut leadership. The events, on the Uyghur side, were much more defensive than offensive. It seems the whole events started by an (unfunded) rumour from a disgruntled factory worker who had just been laid off. He posted on a blog that Uyghur factory workers in Guangzhou had raped a Han woman. Local Han in Guangzhou went on a rampage, and supposedly a Uyghur worker was killed. This lead to a group of Uyghur in Urumqi demonstrating against discrimination and perceived police bias. Then it degenerated when Hans went on a pogrom. Whether these events did occur as described or not is almost irrelevant. They are symptoms of a very delicate and volatile situation, and how the government will deal with it (and other ethnic minorities scattered around the country) will definitely make for some interesting studying in the years to come... "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."

The Chinese government has really moved quickly (and harshly) on these events at the national level. Facebook, Twitter, and all the Chinese versions of these two have been blocked (at least to non-VPN users). Although the government is certainly trying to blame the recent events to Islamic extremists close to AQ, the real reason behind them is probably much deeper. Over the years, the Han population (and influence) has been growing in regions such as Xinjiang and Tibet. Local cultures have are losing grounds, and with it the identity of its people. There is lots of latent resentment from local ethnic groups, and they sporadically lead to unrest. More and more frequently in recent months. Rather than compare these events to other contemporary uprisings, I think there is much similarities with the opening of colonization of the Midwest and West in 19th Century America. By encroaching deeper and deeper into other cultural grounds, one is bound at times to meet violent resistance. To some locals, it is a matter of cultural survival. As you mentioned, places such as Kashi (which is being leveled in the name of "improvement") are much more traditional hotbeds of rebellious activity than Urumqi (where the majority of the population is Han Chinese). But the distrust (and dislike) among both ethnic groups is quite latent, and surely not likely to go away anytime soon... "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."

But banning burqas is fixing the problem... how? Would banning swastikas wipe neo-nazism off the face of the earth? Let's ban dying dying from low turns next, that'll fix many problems. "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'll be there from Sunday on. PM sent. "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 agree. But the character flaw was not created by her having herpes, but by her not disclosing that she had herpes. What I do not agree with is that the guy you mentioned should now be considered as an outcast because he contracted herpes. "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 was married for 10 years to a woman who had herpes. I never contracted it myself. She told me in the very beginning of our relationship, and I truly didn't think much of it. It never really affected what we did (including our sex life). When there are outbreaks, one just has to be careful. But it is true that the stigma is insanely present (including on this site, where many male members consider a woman with herpes to be avoided at all cost). I would think that in this day and age, people would be better educated and have a much different stance towards this disease, but it is unfortunately not the case. How a mostly skin viral disease can be seen as affecting someone's worth and character is beyond me... "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."

Going by your terminology, the Geneva Convention should then apply to "soldiers" of an "organized army". I was under the impression that one of the justifications by the administration of the treatment of these guys is that they were NOT "soldiers of an organized army" and that therefore the Geneva convention would not apply... Which is it? "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."

Skydiving questions, trying to get laid, arguing about guns, etc... = DZ.com Rashes, broken bones, tumors = doctor That's my diagnosis... "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 would say that they are quicker to act when something breaks out. The power struggle within the CCP was so great in 1989 that nothing happened for over 2 months. Now, when something arises, they move in FAST! Tibet and the Uighur are driven by cultural survival though, whereas the students and workers movement of 1989 was somewhat attacking not only the foundation of the party, but in some aspect was hacking at the core of Chinese society. Students DEMANDING anything goes against the basic Confucian values. And because the protesters were (mostly) Hans, the government could not dismiss them as some minority extremists. The Uighur are obviously much easier to deal with on the domestic and international scene, with the "war on terror" and all... Jut brand any uprising as being orchestrated by local AQ friendly extremists and you get away with murder nowadays. Tibet is trickier, as it is in the international spotlight. But at the end of the day, the regime only has to justify itself to its citizens. And realistically, the average Chinese couldn't care less about what happens in Tibet. Label it as rioting by extremists and again, you're home free... "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 they do not. Much like in Orwell's 1984, the Chinese government has rewritten history. The 20 something generation knows pretty much nothing of the events. I showed videos from Youtube to my staff, and I could tell it was the first time they saw anything on that subject... "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."

There were obviously more than the 100,000 in Beijing. But still not that much considering the protests went on for over 2 months. It lost some traction after a bit and couldn't built upon its momentum. One of the big issue was, I believe, that once the more radical group of students took over, they lost the masses. As long as they were talking about improving conditions, fighting corruption, etc... people could relate to it. When they became more politicized, a lot of people felt they were not concerned anymore. People who make $3/day do care about improving their condition and fighting the local town bully who pockets all the government's investments. But once you start talking about concepts such as democracy, you don't really give a rat's ass. They tend to start caring about democracy after they've purchased the apartment, the house, sent the kids to college, etc... The students still involved in mid-may were idealists. The rest of the population was much more pragmatic. In my opinion... "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."