Regarding the whole notion of Europe being on the ropes, I’d be interested to read what people thought about the idea of a looming population crisis in Europe. No developed nation in the world is reproducing itself at the most fundamental level (including the new EU nations — I’m curious as to how they’re actually going to provide more immigration into western Europe without emptying their own nations in the process).

This isn’t such a problem in the New World where nationhood isn’t bound up in ethnicity, and so new-comers can become much more an integrated part of the whole, and thus, continue the national cultural project. It seems to me that this doesn’t happen as readily in Europe, and so I’m wondering if indeed there really is the possibility that Europe the Idea will eventually cease to exist, to be replaced by something else, and only continued outside of Europe.

Having reread the article i see where you are coming from, with regards to a level of cultural Xenophobia.
But indeed the same can be said about the “pro” global “multi-culture” people.

Anyways.. here is the Forbes article i was talking about :

http://www.forbes.com/2006/02/03/capital-hospitality-intro-cz_jg_0206caphosp.html

Pete

I dont see the “fear-factor” in the article.
More like a strong belief in your own cultures strenghts.

What the writer implies is, that the global “multi-culture” merely benefits the people, but only the so-called “elite”.

Pete

Isn’t that the definition of xenophobia in the modern world though?

The danes most open

Examinations from the Rockwool-foundation, Professor Lise Togeby, Aarhus University, Catinet research and EUs big opiniopoll-institute Eurobarometer have clerly shown, that danes towards immigrants – including 200.000 muslems, are more tolerant than most europeans, and that the tolerance have increased significantly i the years after the government change.

In the same period foreigners living in Denmark have experienced a significant decline in discrimination.

Furthermore you have surveys that show, that not only are the danes the worlds most content and happy people, but also the most “friendly and accomadation towards other” and “the most open to new ideas and opportunities”.

The latter is a new result from a broad international scientific investigation af 51 countries done by 78 international scientists through interviews of 1000s of people in the different countries.

These result are strictly opposed to the ongoing complain/campaign about the “ultra-right-wing” “Xenophobic” voters in Denmark who have supported the Fogh government and its supporting Party (DPP) since the 2001 elections.

These emotions, which the angry critics wrongly interpret as Xenophobia and intolerance and closeness are in effect a simple but strong persistencty about a well-functioning society
in a time where many from the priviledged “elite” have become disloyal to the cultual and national solidarity, and dream of a global “multi-culture”, in which the “elite” freely and luxuriously can move around.

But even the most straight up, modern og disillusionist assesment, kan see the “danish values”

Yesterday Forbes capital Hospitality index made an assesment, in which Denmark is rated “the most investorfriendly society in the World”.

The index asseses the complete financial growt, international trade, as well as social factors like poverty, bureaucracy, technological development and corruption.

We are friendly, open, rich and tolerant. This is certified.

If this position creates hatred and smear-campaigns, it is obvious to see it as an example of envy.

Peter Pedersen

My belief history as an American.

In the seventy’s we were supposed to worry about Soviet Union.
In the eighty’s we were supposed to worry about Japan.
In the ninety’s it was EU.
Now it’s China and India.

Yep. I’m worried. Oh, wait, no, I’m not really.
Competition is what makes you strong, keeps your claws sharp, so to speak. Study Darwin, same idea.

Maybe ya’ll are right and the US is heading for a fall. Your not the first to think it, you won’t be the last, but what ever replaces us, it won’t be you. If it’s China or some caliphate super state, well enjoy the thought you won’t be under the evil American foreign policy. Because, as you can site historically, any country taken over by Communist or Islamic ideologies enjoy great renaissances and superior standards of living.

Yep, please get the word out that America is an evil country with no social safety net. Maybe then all these damn immigrants who keep coming here to work (be exploited by evil American capitalist) will go back to their agrarian utopias that they came from. Why they keep returning year after year after year, or some times move to this satanic hell to make their lives, well who knows? And it’s not just the non-skilled, all these damn Chinese and Indian PhDs keep coming (you would think that people so smart would already know that America is about to collapse under its own non-sustainable greed).

Good luck with the EU. Adding another layer of unaccountable bureaucracy, always a good idea.

Rob – in other words you mean they take a day off to spend with the family? How scandalous! Such decay of society should be stopped immediately!

Oh shut up, you! You never heard of a typo?

Moreover, Sweden & Co.’s corporate income tax rate is relatively low to incentivize company owners to leave their wealth in companies. This incentive is re-enforced by the punitive taxation of company owners who sell their enterprises. Having read about some of the tax vehicles recently created to avoid this punative taxation, one can’t help but wonder how much of Sweden & Co.’s wealth is shipped abroad.

No, Sweden & Co. are not “bucking the trend”, but rather are bleeding human and liquid capital while suffering corresponding economic and social decay.

What stupidity. The Japanese have two main countries to apologise to. The Chinese – which they do every year around the time of the commemorations, and the Americans (for Pearl Harbour), for which they not only suffered two nukes, but also do apologise every year.

Your uncle needs to learn his history before he asks people to start apologising. I suggest he goes to Germany if he wants apologising, though you may be surprised to hear they also have. Welcome to the 21st century… your uncle might not be here yet.

he looked at me as if I had smallpox, he leaned over and whispered in my ear and said. “Stop that damn fool nonsense, the best thing since the coming of Jesus Christ was the British Empire.”

Yeah – they have names for lap dogs of the British Raj too, who listen to their BBC World and reminisce about the good times when they were licking some officer’s boot.

You may not like to hear this but the biggest films in India are usually the independence ones where the Indians fight together for freedom (I suggest: 194, a love story, Lagaan, and the currently showing Rang De Basanti).

Where did you get that name from you are neither Muslim or Arab.

“(former POW held by the Nips)”

Nip is a racial slur. Dont use them around here lest the Pakis get all upset.

Don’t know, but I can tell you he was beaming from ear to ear when we watched the movie “Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb”

Does your uncle hide behind the sofa when Bridge Over The River Kwai comes on the TV?

I kid, I kid! You nephews of Japanese POW’s need to relax a little it’s just a bit of ribbing old boy

Thicko. You addressed your post to Sunny, when it should have been addressed to me. Being a vulgar jackanape I am not surprised at such mental sloppiness. What I didn’t expect (because of my essential generosity of spirit) is the same chippiness that your Uncle still carries for his period of bamboo torture. Get that chip off your shoulder boy.

Am working to deadline 30mins to go until I wine and dine with my valentine.