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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (332714)	4/11/2007 6:17:20 PM
From: bentway	Respond to of 1573095

My biggest disappointment was not getting to see Kirsten's head roll. That had kept me sitting through the thing..

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (332714)	4/11/2007 7:13:09 PM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1573095

Dear John, After years of confrontation with virtually the entire world, the regime in North Korea yesterday took its first steps away from its policy of nuclear confrontation. The North Koreans agreed to begin shutting down their Yongbyon atomic reactor, the facility that provides fuel for their nuclear weapons, and say they will allow UN weapons inspectors back into the country for the first time in five years. The world is a safer place today, and I am proud to have played a role in securing this agreement. I was in Pyongyang this week to secure the remains of six American servicemen who died during the Korean War. This is a very positive gesture on the part of the North Korean government. Hopefully it will help heal the wounds from the Korean War and start a process to bring closure to the thousands of American families awaiting word about their loved ones who perished. My years of experience dealing with North Korea and my knowledge of the region allowed me to help facilitate this new resolution to end their nuclear weapons program. It will take a while for the media to understand the impact of this historic accord. NBC's Andrea Mitchell was the only network journalist in North Korea with us, and she has been leading the way with forward-looking coverage of this week's events. Click here to watch MSNBC's coverage of North Korea's breakthrough announcement. The bottom line is that diplomacy works - there is no other lesson to draw from this monumental breakthrough. And we desperately need someone in the White House who understands this and can restore American international leadership. In today's world, we have to be willing to engage our adversaries in tough and direct talks that lead to resolution, not more confrontation and isolation. I don't have to tell you that there are trouble spots all over the world that could use some of this tough and smart American diplomacy. I'm running for President, in part, to keep our country safe and secure. I'm proud that yesterday in North Korea I was able to make a contribution to real progress toward that goal. Sincerely, Governor Bill Richardson

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (332714)	4/12/2007 5:03:49 AM
From: Taro	Respond to of 1573095

I rather prefer Marie Antoinette and her "lost" necklace as involved with the Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. Quite exciting reading for my as a teen. That's when I read all of his books. Greatest "cloak and dagger" lit around, and the first. Taro

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (332714)	4/12/2007 1:52:06 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1573095

Ted, > France evolved into revolution because the wealthy were living an incredible lifestyle while the poor were starving. Last time I checked, most Americans were overweight, not starving. Don't you mean Asian Americans.......or have you successfully knocked off the pounds? <g> While there are some people who go to bed hungry at nite in the US, its true that few people starve to death. Having said that, the standards that determine wealth vs poverty in the US have changed considerably since Antoinette's time. People now become angry not because they are starving but rather because they are struggling to keep a roof over their heads while the likes of Paris Hilton ride around in their Bentleys without a clue as to how to put gas into it. Nonetheless, the underlying Antoinette premise is still the same.......there are some who have great wealth and flaunt it in excess while most are struggling to stay afloat. And yes, I too saw the movie. I don't know how you could have missed the sympathetic portrayal of Marie Antoinette as a naive socialite. It's as if the stuffy, aristocratic lifestyle was forced upon her and she couldn't help but find relief in parties and wild spending. At 14, she was the Dauphine of France.....imagine an American teen put into such a position. She was naive. She was put into a bad situation without the skills to deal with it. Over the course of time, she made many enemies. Her worst behavior occurred when she was still a teenager. Unfortunate for her, she became the symbol for all the excesses of the upper classes. While the spending by Antoinette and the upper classes was daunting and hurting France, the real problem was the series of wars involving the country: "There were also wider problems affecting France at the time, for the entire country was standing on the edge of bankruptcy. The long series of wars fought by Louis XIV and Louis XV had left France with the highest national debt in Europe. French society was under-taxed and what little money was collected failed to save the economy. Louis XVI was persuaded by Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais to support the American revolutionaries in their fight for independence from Britain. This decision was a disaster for France, despite its victory, because the cost was enormous." en.wikipedia.org Its eerie how closely the France of that time parallels the US of this time. Meanwhile, the suffering and the anger of the masses were only mentioned briefly, but never visually portrayed in the movie except in "graffiti" moments. Wasn't the movie from Antoinette's POV? If anything, I wonder if the movie went a little too far in its revisionism of Marie Antoinette's life. Makes me wonder whether the celebrity culture we have these days is starting to rewrite history. When humans become symbols, the traits that reinforce the symbol image tend to get embellished. I think history is trying to rectify the excesses falsely attributed to Antoinette. She was no saint but I don't think she was the devil either.