From the Times of London a somewhat unenthusiastic point of view on the Mandarin boom. I do not agree with much of what he says, but a degree of skepticism, in the face of the Mandarin hype, is probably a good thing. I think kids can lean Mandarin, if they are very motivated. The most important thing is choice and variety. Up to now we have had very little exposure to Mandarin in our schools. I hope that when the present fad passes, Mandarin will just be one of many world languages that kids can learn in school, not because Mandarin is essential to a good job (which is certainly not true), but because it is a major part of human history and culture.