Rosetta Stone is what i need to learn chinese if McSame gets in

[postmanisu]

Michael Phelps is learning chinese.

[kurth_]

1. Ya know, in the 80s they said the same thing about the Japanese

How the Japanese were buying up everything, so everybody had better learn Japanese.
Look at what happened to Japan. (Well, their products are excellent, but Japan Inc. is in no shape to take over the world)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. True, but they're still planning more intelligently than we are

They're saying,"We know that the oil is running out. We know that the climate is changing. We know that our population is aging. Let's figure out what we need to do and then do it."

They're not going to take over the world, but they're at least taking some serious steps to deal with the issues facing them.

[kurth_]

6. Agree. Japan is also a great place to live

Uniformly clean and nice - with an excellent universal health care system. Now China is a different story - an environmental nightmare everywhere I visited.

[gatorboy]

4. Do they need to be?

They don't seem to be doing as bad as we are.

[and-justice-for-all]

3. It is benefical to learn any foreeign language...

any. I am learning German, just for that very reason. Does not matter what language you learn, just learn one...you cant lose.

[Hugabear]

5. How is the Rosetta Stone software?

I've seen the ads for it, but how easy is it really? Also, how expensive? I recall looking it up a few years ago, and it seemed pretty pricey.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. As a former professional language teacher, I think it's okay for a basic

introduction to a foreign language, but you'll never become proficient with a self-study course, at least not from what I've seen in the sample lessons.