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Comment: Re:Why Indonesia? (Score 1) 228

by Teun (#43820781) Attached to: Australia Makes Asian Language Learning a Priority
About a month ago I spend time in Indonesia and I can tell you you're, as most Islamophobes, way off the mark.

Islam has it's above average share of nuts but Indonesia being the largest Islamic population in the world has an under average share of these murderous crackpots.

Besides, the all but democratic government and military will assure your and their own peace.

Comment: Re:I am willing to go along ... (Score 2) 100

by Teun (#43820487) Attached to: European Commission Launches $12 Billion Chip Support Campaign
In the light of this proposal profit is more than direct return on investment.

There might and will be benefits for society at large, people get jobs, knowledge is gained and other new ventures can develop.

Those benefits don't show up in the books of investment bankers but are still very real.

Comment: Re:Ugh no editing (Score 2) 56

by Teun (#43820347) Attached to: African Soil Mapped For the Very First Time
Western megacorps could really do a lot of good for the food production of Africa.

The problem is the local governments that with few exceptions are only interested in lining their private pockets.

As with this map institutions like the EU would be very happy to help local groups set up larger scale farming initiatives like corporations.

But because of a lack of law supporting and protecting such investments hardly anyone except the Chinese will succeed, the Chinese don't hesitate to buy the protection.

Comment: Re:The consequence (Score 2) 56

by Teun (#43820315) Attached to: African Soil Mapped For the Very First Time
I have very recently visited a West African country with a great climate for agriculture.

Quite incredibly they import foodstuff, in the colonial years they exported plus the local market was much better served.

Their biggest problem is the size of the subsistence plots and the lack of proper registration of land owner ship, present governments in the area are as a rule not exactly efficient on such subjects.

But maybe the Chinese can use this map to buy some national and local politicians in areas with a good prospect for large scale farming, something western companies are reluctant to do.

With proper management Africa can increase it's present food production at least five-fold, a win for the local people and the whole world.

Comment: Re:Learning is great (Score 2) 228

by Teun (#43786121) Attached to: Australia Makes Asian Language Learning a Priority
Indonesia (Pop. 240 M.) shares it's language with Malaysia (Pop. 30 M.) , though there are local differences the countries do have a joint language commission. For westerners it's easy to get a basic grasp of the language.

Both countries have a rapid economic growth and especially Malaysia has a reasonable average level of income.

Indonesia is in size the worlds fourth largest country, all reasons to keep good neighbourly contacts with them and if the economy isn't interesting then it is at least because half of Australia goes on holidays in Kuta.

Comment: Re:Learning is great (Score 1) 228

by Teun (#43785897) Attached to: Australia Makes Asian Language Learning a Priority
Indeed, English has since a couple of centuries a very odd pronunciation of what looks like the original Latin alphabet.

All living languages will see shifts in pronunciation but where others adapted spelling accordingly the English have largely retained the original spelling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift

Comment: Re:Exactly Backwards (Score 2) 228

by Teun (#43785657) Attached to: Australia Makes Asian Language Learning a Priority
As a Dutchman I am rather fluent in Dutch, German, French and English and get along in Danish/Norwegian, Italian and Spanish.

For work I travel a lot and I can assure you in business some other language than English can often be the difference between success and failure.

And as someone else here already stated overhearing the off-line chatter between business partners can be quite revealing, even when your command of the language is not so very good.

There is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress. -- Mark Twain

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