O G San

Reply to On A Korean Island in International JoeUser Forums

This is his as well to be fair: "Back in 1962, the South was the sixth poorest country in the world"

What's Wrong With Saudi Arabia? in International JoeUser Forums

In the corner shop the other week I got chatting to the owner. After a while, I remarked that his English was very good. With typical Korean modesty, he refused the complimnet with the explanation: "I worked as an engineer in Saudi Arabia, working with westerners. But that was twenty years ago and I've forgotten a lot." Like most of what he said, this was grammaticall

Reply to George W.Bush Conquers Reality in Politics JoeUser Forums

Very interesting.

Reply to Dull Europe in International JoeUser Forums

This is a fluid situation. I live in East Asia and I can see how every country in the region, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan etc are having to reconcile themselves to the emerging power of China. I dont think it's a zero-sum matter of abandoning the US and jumping into bed with China.

Reply to Still On The Fringe in International JoeUser Forums

Hello sister, setting me work I see. Don't read much about Norn Iron on the web since the Irish News started charging for the privilege (the swines!) I like to dip into Anthony McIntyre's website Link occasionally. I've no time for his politics but at least he's an independent voice. Also Henry McDonald and Eamonn McCann are on there. Also, Link a fairl

Reply to Still On The Fringe in International JoeUser Forums

No, I haven't seen any of his stuff but I hear it's very good. I was talking to a guy who knows him who says his mobile phone's ringtone is "The Sash", so yes, very much an unapologetic loyalist.

Dull Europe in International JoeUser Forums

The century which ended a few years ago is often refered to as "the American century". For those who speak of the twentieth century in this way, the great narrative of that time was the emergence of the US from being a minor player in 1900 to a position of unquestioned supremacy over the world by the 1990s; standing head and shoulders above Germany, France, Russia and

Reply to Uri Avnery on Rafah in International JoeUser Forums

Hmm, who could that be?

Reply to On A Korean Island in International JoeUser Forums

Yeah I know it's in the papers, both English and Korean. I meant that "the man on the street" doesn't seem to talk about it much. Actually reading that bit again, I mis-worte (is that a word?) what I meant to say, I'm going to fix it now.

Still On The Fringe in International JoeUser Forums

It's ten years since the emrgence onto Northern Ireland's (NI) political scene of the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) and the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP). These two groups, known collectively as "fringe loyalists" gave political representation to the two main unionist paramilitary groups; the UDA and the UVF. Their emergence onto the scene was welcomed by

On A Korean Island in International JoeUser Forums

I've spent my life living on two islands, Ireland and Taiwan. The idea of getting in a car and driving to another country is, pardon the pun, foreign to me. I regard international travel as having to involve either a boat or a plane. It means crossing a sea which defines my home. Currently I'm living on the Eurasian landmass but I still feel like I'm on an

Uri Avnery on Rafah in International JoeUser Forums

The creative juices haven't been flowing in the past week. It happens to us all I think, sometimes you just can't come up with something to write about. Anyway, I can't let the blog lie idle (especially as I'm perched right on the edge of the top forty, about to fall onto page three of the list of top users). I was thinking of writing something about the Isr

Reply to Law of Conservation of Commas in Misc JoeUser Forums

I never put a comma before "and". Surely the word "and" makes a comma unnecessary? As for the point about exceptions, this applies to some grammar, but not all. There are rules about apostrophes and capital letters which don't have any exceptions and which are easy to learn, yet so many people make basic mistakes over amd over again. If I see one more person on this website writing "Iraqi's" instead of "Iraqis" (mutters to self angri

Reply to Kerry’s Cabinet in Politics JoeUser Forums

Some interesting picks. Can't see Clinton takong the job though, it's a bit of a comedown from his last job

Reply to Germany's Idea for stabilizing Iraq! Send in Iran! in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Look, I didn't take any time, I just wanted to clear up a misunderstanding. I was refering to the idea of Turkish troops in the Sunni Triangle AFTER the invasion, as is made clear in my link and your two links. Also, I dont see a quote from Schroeder saying that he thinks the only troops in Iraq should be those from Muslim countries, that's your interpretation. The first paragrph of the CS article states that getting Turkey on board

Reply to Germany's Idea for stabilizing Iraq! Send in Iran! in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Link Is the Christian Science Monitor "reliable' enough for you? I was referring to the so-called "post-war" phase. I didn't explicitly say this in my comment, I didn't think it was necessary. Now this little misunderstanding has been resolved, perhaps you could explain the difference between the US idea and the German idea.

Reply to Law of Conservation of Commas in Misc JoeUser Forums

I get really annoyed when people don't write properly. Here on Joeuser the use of apostrophes and capital letters is very, very slipshod. Having said this, I admit that I haven't got a clue when to use conmas. Also, when does one properly deploy a semi-colon? In fact, do we need them at all?

Reply to Germany's Idea for stabilizing Iraq! Send in Iran! in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Greywar, What exactly is your point? Last year the US tried to persuade Turkey to send troops to the Sunni Triangle based on exactly the same logic as Schroeder is using. The Turks initially agreed but had to change their minds when the Kurds in Iraq made clear that they were VERY against the idea. Perhpas in the light of this, you have some "amusing" insult for Bush, Rumsfeld et al?

Reply to Bush's War, Bush's Fault in International JoeUser Forums

Captain, if you're going to come on slagging off other people's spelling, you really should be more careful: "Now were cooking with stove gas" It's "we're", not "were".

Reply to Donegal in International JoeUser Forums

I don't think "suspect" is the right word. I think NI was blatantly created as the largest possible area with a comfortable Protestant majority. I dont think anyone would dispute that version of history. I think for unionists at the time it was hard to abandon the three other counties, especially Donegal, but they did it because they were realists.

Reply to Fear of Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine in International JoeUser Forums

Thanks for your thoughts Gerry. As for your question about extremist groups in NI, it's complicated. Yes, they need support, or at least tacit support, from their community in order to functon. But some of the splinter groups are so small that something like a major arrest operation or the killing of their leader can have a huge effect on their ability to carry out attacks.

Reply to Fear of Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine in International JoeUser Forums

Thanks, kingbee. I agree that Sharon's little jaunt up the Temple Mount was the spark for the intifada (and I'm quite sure he knew the implications of his actions). But the violence would probably have started anyway over something else if Sharon hadn't provoked it. After Camp David failed in August 2000, conflict became much more likely.

Reply to June 30th Mission Accomplished ? in Politics JoeUser Forums

Good blog, Wahkonta. I think this 'handover" is a sham. The US troops will remain and somehow I can't see them taking orders from an Iraqi government.

Donegal in International JoeUser Forums

One thing that really grates with me is when people refer to Northern Ireland (NI) as "Ulster". I don't want to be a pedant, but it's important to note that NI is a state of six counties while Ulster is a province of nine. Sometimes I think that unionists conflate the two terms in an attempt to bestow an historical legitimacy on NI which it doesn't posess. It

Fear of Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine in International JoeUser Forums

Ten years ago, Northern Ireland (NI) and Israel/Palestine, with their nascent peace processes, were held up together as shining examples of ethnic conflicts which were about to be resolved for good. This was the post Cold War "New World Order" in action, peace and prosperity for all, even those whose antipathy stretched back generations. A decade on, it's not