Comments on: But you must hate us!

By: RossH

RossH — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:51:23 +0000

Ah, the Chapter House. That brings back memories - it was my favorite bar when I spent a few years in the People’s Republic of Ithaca a long-long time ago while a grad student at Cornell. In those days (any maybe still today) it catered more to grad students and faculty than to undergrads. At least in my experience, the students at Cornell seemed to be pretty moderate. Much of the faculty, however, appeared to be caught in a time warp. A shame really - with a more balanced local government, Ithaca had / has potential to be a world-class research and entrepreneurial center given the proximity of Cornell.

By: Bernie

Bernie — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:02:21 +0000

Mike, If that is in response to me, I think that these days they are more likely to envy the Boston Red Sox!!

Bernie in Boston

By: Mike D.

Mike D. — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:55:37 +0000

Yankee envy?

By: Bernie

Bernie — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:04:02 +0000

Us Brits have more of a world view because we had an Empire. The mystery is not that we lost it, but how the hell did we ever get one in the first place.

My soccer mates would say - it was never so much a British Empire as a Scottish one!!

P.S. The BBC does do a good job shedding light on faraway benighted places - however, they do a lousy job when it comes to reporting on America or anything to do with America. They suffer from a terminal case of envy or covetousness.

By: Tim James

Tim James — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:37:56 +0000

There are saints and sinners everywhere. I’ve been beaten up by a Buddhist and nursed by a Nazi. You just have to take people as you find them. However I hope you haven’t been buying beer for ‘Brother’ Bob Crow, the RMT union leader who regularly brings London to a standstill, Having just got rid of mayor ‘Red’ Ken Livingstone, he’s next on my hate-list!

By: GeorgeM

GeorgeM — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 03:17:08 +0000

My last visit to the UK was 8 years ago. I had the opportunity to get way off the tourist areas through several people I had made acquaintance with through other venues. The local folks I encountered were the most friendly, helpful and generous anywhere, and that includes a lot of the world. Ithaca I could do without.

By: Mike D.

Mike D. — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:18:58 +0000

I hate Ithaca and I’ve never even been there! I visited England once, though, and I thought it was very nice.

By: The Great Simpleton

The Great Simpleton — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:49:07 +0000

Sadly there is a vocal minority who do fit your bartender’s stereotype and you were lucky to get a union official with such a world view.

A well educated friend was complaining about how TV news in the USA tended to be local and there we no real world view. This she declared was proof of the superiority of Europeans.

When I asked here about here viewing times of German, French, Italian and Spanish TV it seemed they came to nought. When I pointed out that they were just as bad (well German was when I watched it) and that she suffered from a language bias she went quiet for the rest of the evening.

By: Charlie (Colorado)

Charlie (Colorado) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:16:58 +0000

ROFL.

(As a Boulderite, I can relate completely.)

By: lucia

lucia — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:11:54 +0000

Oh.. but I’m sure the British really do hate us. After all, your friend is drawn from the small sample of Brits who like America enough to visit.

I’m a bit puzzled about the alternative currencies. Isn’t on of the main purpose of those currencies to avoid taxes by creating an entire “off the books” alternative economy? If so, why have they caught on in areas where people claim to favor high taxes to be used to support social welfare programs?

Or am I mistaken about the purpose of these alternative currencies?