Holy cow something that Bush seems to be doing right...

[GOP = Terrorists]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/07/AR2006010700828.html

I've been calling for this for a long time but I doubt it will go far enough.  We need kids learning Chinese in like second grade.

[12th Doctor]

Not a bad idea, acctually, since most Europeans know English, anyway.

[opebo]

Too bad the only movtivation for this educational endeavor is to facilitate imperialist aggressions in the areas in question.

[MODU]

You're never too old to learn a new language, though it gets more difficult the older you are.  A friend has been trying to teach me Mandarin for two years now, and I can still only recognize 3 symbols correctly.  hahaha

[ATFFL]

Is it enough for you to raise the grade you gave him? 

This is one of the things that both parties have been saying really should be done for years.  Glad to see someone finally push it.

[ilikeverin]

*insert Pinyin for 'you're right' here, which I've been told I can say with very little accent :S*

[David S]

Bush's interest seems to be for military intelligence purposes.
From a business perspective people might want to learn Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese and most of all ...Canadian eh  . Those are some of our biggest trading partners.

[Gabu]

and most of all ...Canadian eh  .

I'll grab the 2-4, then you hosers'll come over for the Habs game, eh?

[David S]

and most of all ...Canadian eh  .

I'll grab the 2-4, then you hosers'll come over for the Habs game, eh?

  Looks like I need a remedial course in Canuck.

[GOP = Terrorists]

Is it enough for you to raise the grade you gave him? 

Nah because it still rounds down to a zero. =)

[GOP = Terrorists]

Bush's interest seems to be for military intelligence purposes.

Nothing wrong with that.

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I'm pretty sure that in 15 years they will need to know Chinese for business.  =(

[Platypus]

Everyone always says you have to learn Chinese or Japanese or whatever for business, or for the area I hope to go into, foreign affairs. You have to study Asian studies and know and Asian language. So what about the rest of the world?

I'll either focus on Contemporary European Studies or American studies in my Arts degree, and I hope to pick up some Spanish. There is a huge gap in Australia for people in the int. affairs area with knowledge of the Americas, as well as the Middle East. They just keep pumping out China/Japan specialists