Terry,
as an Australian, I'd be less concerned about America's status in the next century than your own country. Being a colony of China doesn't strike me as all that awesome.
Cheers Mate.

ptitz:
1.You find Americans arrogant.
2.Where you come from, people beat up Americans, at least partially - for being Americans. So who's the asshole here?

Perhaps you're the bigot? Perhaps you are that which you claim to hate? Thats what I meant by the self awareness bit.

I don't see what's so hard to follow.

Was actually trying to clear things up. My apologies if I offended.

Your friends beat people up because they were American and you think Americans are arrogant? Self-awareness is not your forte friend.

ptitz, for a guy who claims not to care, you sure are defensive.

I apologize on behalf of whichever American beat you up when you were in grade school. He obviously didn't know how hard you'd take it.

L, it was a cheap shot cause I thought it was funny.
Sorry if I hurt the feelings of any no-baby-seal-clubbing Canadians. (I'm arrogant that way).

Basketball was first played in Springfield Mass, not Canada. That makes it American as far as I'm concerned.

Go back to clubbing baby seals if you don't like it.

Monica, thanks for bringing that up. What I can't believe is that the US basketball, Dream Team loses to people like Puerto Rico. What the hell!? We invented that game man. Sheeeeeiiiit.

Anyway, I don't care what our national status becomes, I will never watch soccer.

Fareed has a gift for broad statements. I once read an op-ed by him in the Washington Post where he claimed that Americans 'don't do science' anymore, therefore we needed to relax the post 9-11 immigration rules and protocols. As an American with Mathematics and Computer Science degrees, I was not impressed with his logic.

In that case he was justifying policies he no doubt wanted anyway, on the basis of their ability to promote the US's scientific standing. Guess he's going to use the US's geopolitical standing to try to get the country doing what he want's more generally now.

Don't think much of this type of argument. This is what kept European powers trying to hold on to their colonies after WWII.

Yes. Thank you Solo. (May the force be with you.)

Don't know what's going on there. Takes them a while to get to the correct speed or something. Anyway, it's cool after I had a couple nice after work drinks.

Hmm. Well, presumption of innocence and all. They should have cashed it. After all, it might have cleared. Sorry to see people have become so cynical.

Hmm. Makes a nice gift I'd say.

Have to add, I admire the guys chutzpah. You get arrested for murder and you're the one complaining? You weigh 400 pounds and you bitch about the bad food and the small portions, in prison! Damn. We could use a man like this at Verizon. Please forward your resume when you get out Homie!

Reechard, the murder diet. Too funny. If people thought they could lose weight by going to jail, I'm sure some people would try it.

Looks cool to me. They're reusing material so it's environmentally friendly. Pretty hip. Wonder what it's like inside them though.