That depends who wins.

With Obama we know that there will be no solution to the monetary fiasco, so the whole world will slide further towards the abyss of total fiscal bankruptcy.

With Romney I have no idea of where would end up - he has not put forward the type of policy that would go towards solving anything either. In fact he has not put forward any detailed proposals that I have seen - maybe because he would expect the other side to steal the ideas.

The world needs leadership on finance - not politicians trying to grab support to get hold of the levers of power for four or five years, as with the US, France, Britain and Germany. What happens if China calls in all the markers she holds? She'd rule the world straight away or have to go to war to get what we all owe her.

whether Obama, Romney, Superman, the Messiah or the Mahdi is at the helm there is no way that the Greatest Nation on Earth™ is able to manage a balanced budget and pay back its debt ever at today's dollar value. and the chance of China calling in "all the markers" is as remote as your attendance of the party i am throwing at my 149th birthday... you are just too old to live that long Humph

note: sovereign debt is not meant to be paid back. everybody will be happy as long as the sovereign debtor receives sufficient revenue to service and roll-over the debt.

I wonder what will happen when the Yuan becomes a reserve currency. It will, sooner or later.

The other day, a local handed me a banknote denominated 1000000, and said, How much is this worth? The answer was 17 baht, but nobody would even give that for it. (Old Turkish currency, devalued 10,000% = 1 Turkish lira in current money). Of course one thinks, this can't happen to the US, but it could, though probably won't for a while yet. And as you say, Naam, neither Romney nor Obama, Batman, Superman nor any other Man could stop it.

I wonder what will happen when the Yuan becomes a reserve currency. It will, sooner or later.

actually there is no need for a "reserve" currency which was only established and introduced for the benefit of one country and to facilitate "Bretton Woods" which does not exist anymore. the financial world could go on (sooner or later on crutches) without a specific reserve currency.

I wonder what will happen when the Yuan becomes a reserve currency. It will, sooner or later.

The other day, a local handed me a banknote denominated 1000000, and said, How much is this worth? The answer was 17 baht, but nobody would even give that for it. (Old Turkish currency, devalued 10,000% = 1 Turkish lira in current money). Of course one thinks, this can't happen to the US, but it could, though probably won't for a while yet. And as you say, Naam, neither Romney nor Obama, Batman, Superman nor any other Man could stop it.

in 2004 we looked at land and property in southern Turkey and the room maid in our hotel got every day a tip of 2 million lira.

I wonder what will happen when the Yuan becomes a reserve currency. It will, sooner or later.

The other day, a local handed me a banknote denominated 1000000, and said, How much is this worth? The answer was 17 baht, but nobody would even give that for it. (Old Turkish currency, devalued 10,000% = 1 Turkish lira in current money). Of course one thinks, this can't happen to the US, but it could, though probably won't for a while yet. And as you say, Naam, neither Romney nor Obama, Batman, Superman nor any other Man could stop it.

in 2004 we looked at land and property in southern Turkey and the room maid in our hotel got every day a tip of 2 million lira.

Cheap Charlie!

I wonder what will happen when the Yuan becomes a reserve currency. It will, sooner or later.

While my friends seem to prefer having Thai kids, maybe it's a good time to invest in the inevitable future and start making some half-Chinese kids of my own.

I wonder what will happen when the Yuan becomes a reserve currency. It will, sooner or later.

actually there is no need for a "reserve" currency which was only established and introduced for the benefit of one country and to facilitate "Bretton Woods" which does not exist anymore. the financial world could go on (sooner or later on crutches) without a specific reserve currency.

Just a reminder that the Chinese are already using their financial clout to invest in strategic assets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20163907

Softee, softee, catchee monkey!

I wonder what will happen when the Yuan becomes a reserve currency. It will, sooner or later.

actually there is no need for a "reserve" currency which was only established and introduced for the benefit of one country and to facilitate "Bretton Woods" which does not exist anymore. the financial world could go on (sooner or later on crutches) without a specific reserve currency.

Just a reminder that the Chinese are already using their financial clout to invest in strategic assets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...siness-20163907

Softee, softee, catchee monkey!

there's no country which is in that many ways overestimated as well as underestimated as China. one can only wonder what China's status would be if Mao had died in 1956 instead of 1976 and Deng Xiao Ping had taken over 20 years earlier.

Joe Biden always says what he means:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOp2ncxDGhA

Well, the election is over and the good guys lost. Having said that, perhaps there is some hope left for the Obama administration if the way Obama has acted the last couple of days is any indication of a newly found sexual revolution.

Check out the photos in the attached article and see if the interaction of the participants doesn't remind you of yourself when you were in the 9th grade.

My personal reaction was a mix of embarrassment for the POTUS and sympathy for his ineptitude. The photos are PRICELESS.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The charmer-in-chief: Obama gets flirty as he schmoozes with Thai prime minister on first stop of historic Asia visit

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 23:41 GMT, 18 November 2012 | UPDATED: 15:01 GMT, 19 November 2012

President Obama is practicing a new brand of foreign relations, appearing to flirt with Thailand’s attractive prime minister on his first stop of his three-day tour of Southeast Asia.

The president and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra could be seen laughing together and exchanging playful glances through a state dinner at the Government House in Bangkok on Sunday.

And just hours later, Obama jetted to Myanmar, where he was pictured lavishing affection on Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy leader who was under house arrest for two decades following her fight for democracy.

http://www.dailymail...Asia-visit.html

Don't know about the Thai Prime Minister, but on the videos I've seen, Aung San Suu Ki was acutely embarrassed by the close attention Obama gave her. One doesn't put arms around a high-class Burmese lady (and she is the daughter of a previous ruler - so very high-class) the way Obama did. Shows contempt.

But then he would have learnt that as a child in Indonesia, I would have thought - so was it deliberate humiliation of an inferior race?

Don't know about the Thai Prime Minister, but on the videos I've seen, Aung San Suu Ki was acutely embarrassed by the close attention Obama gave her. One doesn't put arms around a high-class Burmese lady (and she is the daughter of a previous ruler - so very high-class) the way Obama did. Shows contempt.

But then he would have learnt that as a child in Indonesia, I would have thought - so was it deliberate humiliation of an inferior race?

No, I think just ignorance, HB. In 50 years in Asia, I have seen so much ignorance of Asian cultures shown by Americans (and almost always with the best will in the world!).

Not all Yanks are quite as clueless as others. Those of us that have spent some years here would know better.

Don't know about the Thai Prime Minister, but on the videos I've seen, Aung San Suu Ki was acutely embarrassed by the close attention Obama gave her. One doesn't put arms around a high-class Burmese lady (and she is the daughter of a previous ruler - so very high-class) the way Obama did. Shows contempt.

But then he would have learnt that as a child in Indonesia, I would have thought - so was it deliberate humiliation of an inferior race?

good to know that i'm not the only one who thought that was a big faux pas.

Don't know about the Thai Prime Minister, but on the videos I've seen, Aung San Suu Ki was acutely embarrassed by the close attention Obama gave her. One doesn't put arms around a high-class Burmese lady (and she is the daughter of a previous ruler - so very high-class) the way Obama did. Shows contempt.

But then he would have learnt that as a child in Indonesia, I would have thought - so was it deliberate humiliation of an inferior race?

No, I think just ignorance, HB. In 50 years in Asia, I have seen so much ignorance of Asian cultures shown by Americans (and almost always with the best will in the world!).

i think that's an unfair statement IB. that kind of ignorance is not limited to Americans. BUT if we talk geography and go beyond Canada in the north and Mexico in the south... that's completely different

Don't know about the Thai Prime Minister, but on the videos I've seen, Aung San Suu Ki was acutely embarrassed by the close attention Obama gave her. One doesn't put arms around a high-class Burmese lady (and she is the daughter of a previous ruler - so very high-class) the way Obama did. Shows contempt.

But then he would have learnt that as a child in Indonesia, I would have thought - so was it deliberate humiliation of an inferior race?

No, I think just ignorance, HB. In 50 years in Asia, I have seen so much ignorance of Asian cultures shown by Americans (and almost always with the best will in the world!).

i think that's an unfair statement IB. that kind of ignorance is not limited to Americans. BUT if we talk geography and go beyond Canada in the north and Mexico in the south... that's completely different

Of course Chuck is right; those who have lived here.... as adults.... know better. Those who were just here as little kids, maybe not.

No, such ignorance is not limited to Americans. Plenty of Brits whose knowledge goes back to the old colonial days wouldn't recognise an Asian culture if it hit them. I met plenty of these in Hong Kong. But again, my impression is that Brits, and most Europeans, tread a little more warily when off their home ground.

Of course Chuck is right; those who have lived here.... as adults.... know better. Those who were just here as little kids, maybe not.

No, such ignorance is not limited to Americans. Plenty of Brits whose knowledge goes back to the old colonial days wouldn't recognise an Asian culture if it hit them. I met plenty of these in Hong Kong. But again, my impression is that Brits, and most Europeans, tread a little more warily when off their home ground.

once Americans have lived abroad, even for a rather short time, the situation changes completely. but beware of Americans in America

-(carpenter foreman at Florida construction site). you are German? do you know by chance Werner Müller who lives in Hamburg?"

-(me) Germany has 80 million inhabitants, that's more than five times the number of Floridians.

-(carpenter foreman thinking) dam_n nazi is pulling my leg!

-(teacher with master's degree in political science asking Singaporean friend of my wife who visited us in Florida)

so how do you feel when your country is handed back to the commies next year?

Of course Chuck is right; those who have lived here.... as adults.... know better. Those who were just here as little kids, maybe not.

No, such ignorance is not limited to Americans. Plenty of Brits whose knowledge goes back to the old colonial days wouldn't recognise an Asian culture if it hit them. I met plenty of these in Hong Kong. But again, my impression is that Brits, and most Europeans, tread a little more warily when off their home ground.

once Americans have lived abroad, even for a rather short time, the situation changes completely. but beware of Americans in America

-(carpenter foreman at Florida construction site). you are German? do you know by chance Werner Müller who lives in Hamburg?"

-(me) Germany has 80 million inhabitants, that's more than five times the number of Floridians.

-(carpenter foreman thinking) dam_n nazi is pulling my leg!

-(teacher with master's degree in political science asking Singaporean friend of my wife who visited us in Florida)

so how do you feel when your country is handed back to the commies next year?

Americans in America think Thais come from Taiwan (this comes from a Thai friend of mine who spent three summer months there).

Perhaps we should be talking about the upcoming presidential election. After all, it's only four years away, so time to start preparing.

Americans in America think Thais come from Taiwan (this comes from a Thai friend of mine who spent three summer months there).

Perhaps we should be talking about the upcoming presidential election. After all, it's only four years away, so time to start preparing.

you mean Thais are not from Taiwan?

-(carpenter foreman at Florida construction site). you are German? do you know by chance Werner Müller who lives in Hamburg?"

-(me) Germany has 80 million inhabitants, that's more than five times the number of Floridians.

I've gotten those "do you know Werner Müller from Münchkinland" questions before and the damnedest thing is that on a couple of occasions I did know Werner Müller from Münchkinland.

-(carpenter foreman at Florida construction site). you are German? do you know by chance Werner Müller who lives in Hamburg?"

-(me) Germany has 80 million inhabitants, that's more than five times the number of Floridians.

I've gotten those "do you know Werner Müller from Münchkinland" questions before and the damnedest thing is that on a couple of occasions I did know Werner Müller from Münchkinland.

Today the planet is being roamed by so many of my peers I often ask others if they may have met and yes on more than one occassion they have.