The US is slipping into the second world as we speak, with no signs of a turnaround ahead. Only the sheer size of the economy keeps people from believing it.
Just a nomenclature peeve - I'm not sure of the precise time and place the (first|second|third) world meme originated, but it seems to predate 1970, and until very recently it's meaning was clear: First world: Western (and Westernized) nations - mainly the US, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Australia, & New Zealand Second world: Communist bloc (I can still remember the Cultural Revolution. Prior to that, the Communists seemed a monolithic force, marching in lockstep.) Third world: The rest, mostly poor nations. Back then, the world was a simpler place. Peter Trei Senior Software Engineer Purveyor Development Team Process Software Corporation trei@process.com