THE BRITISH THREAD II

@spendius,

That's why it impresses the girls.

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@georgeob1,

George got most of that right, except he let slip he was the sometime arm-wrestling champ of an obscure pub in Monterey and so Fiona, being at that time on her fifth malt, challenged him.
He was winning too, until she stabbed him with her bodkin.

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@Steve 41oo,

Quote:

enough of this banter, why are Australians good at sport?

The climate: and total lack of distraction from intellectual pursuit.

Someone sailing a bit close to the wind there, Stevo!

Why are the Poms so crap!?

Quote:

The climate: and total lack of distraction from intellectual pursuit.

1 Reply

@Steve 41oo,

Steve 41oo wrote:

brits are clever and aloof, so they think. Americans are down to earth and visceral, so they dont think.

enough of this banter, why are Australians good at sport?

The climate: and total lack of distraction from intellectual pursuit.

I love these insights to the inner soul (or at least the private conceits) of the writer. In fact the Brits are the only society in the Western World that never overthrew their aristocracy -- so they must think long and hard about the chains they love so well. Ours is based solely on things one can accumulate in a single lifetime (and waste just as quickly), so we merely live and enjoy it. The Australians left theirs behind and, as they are at least half Irish, they do most things well.

I actually beat Fiona - almost fair and square - after she stabbed me I kicked her under the table - the distraction unnerved her.

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@georgeob1,

Well I could go on about the civil war and the execution of Charles, Henry 8 and the dissolution of the monasteries, the levellers and the diggers, and the Glorious Revolution of 1688, but I don't have time right now because the banking system is crashing due to the greed of American capitalists.

1 Reply

@margo,

margo wrote:

Why are the Poms so crap!?

Quote:
The climate: and total lack of distraction from intellectual pursuit.

Actually we are pretty good at sport. I know it was a long time ago but I seem to recall Britain won more golds than Australia in Beijing.

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@Steve 41oo,

But when you look at today's Guardian: this titanic crash leads to the collapse of capitalism (well, at least to the opinions of some prominent leftwingers [shame on them!] printed there.

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@Walter Hinteler,

I read that. Its not the end of capitalism, and even it was, the Left have no answers. The system will adapt and change but maybe not in America. I cant see investors wanting to put their money in state owned banks.

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@Steve 41oo,

I go sometimes two or three days at a time without thinking or worrying about banks or bankers. They are legion and there is no shortage of volunteers to replace them - here or anywhere else. Those who invested in foolish banks that took excessive risks (or risks beyond what they could accurately estimate) have lost a lot of money. Others, now armed with greater understanding (and, if they are wise, better memories) will replace them.

Meanwhile the U.S. economy continues to grow.

1 Reply

@georgeob1,

georgeob1 wrote:

Meanwhile the U.S. economy continues to grow.

Yes, the news are full of reports about that.

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@Walter Hinteler,

An historic moment, according to my tv. The end of investment banking.

Goldman Sachs
Bear Sterns
Lehman bros
AIG

Biggest financial crisis since the early '30s. Profligate lending and mis management. I dont think the US gov should bail them out. In fact they cant any more, even the US treasury bonds have been de rated from triple A...

1 Reply

@Steve 41oo,

Did you support the UK government's bailout of Northern Rock????

In general, governments intervene to protect the public interest when it is affected, as opposed to the interests of investors in the failed banks or corporations. Individual cases are often arguable, and finding a clear line between the public interest and those of investors is often very difficult. However, overall I believe the actions taken (and not taken) in the cases of Bear Stearns, Lehman and AIG are, so far at least, appropriate.

Overall these interventions are tame compared to the various nationalizations of transportation systems and "industrial champions" that have long prevailed in Europe.

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@georgeob1,

You might be right, George.

And I do like e.g. private mail companies like the the USPS as well.

1 Reply

@Walter Hinteler,

Walter Hinteler wrote:

You might be right, George.

And I do like e.g. private mail companies like the the USPS as well.

I believe we are all alike in our national postal systems. It is in the other areas, that I noted, that we differ.

The truth is that private operations such as FEDEX and UPS (and others) are competing very effectively with the USPS, and taking an ever-increasing share of their market.

1 Reply

@georgeob1,

George wrote-

Quote:

Did you support the UK government's bailout of Northern Rock????

Of course. What else is there to do?

The process is a nationalisation of the financial system. That is now so complex that it can no longer be left to loose cannons despite the benefits they have brought us in the past.

As long as the juice is on and the beer still flows I'm content to leave it to those who understand these things. If they turn either of those off they are in the ****.

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@georgeob1,

georgeob1 wrote:

I believe we are all alike in our national postal systems. It is in the other areas, that I noted, that we differ.

Well, our Deutsche Post (DHL) is private (since the early 90's) - and became worse since that time. (They even couldn't sell Mrs. Steve the appropriate stamps some years ago - but the last years that improved, as she could testify Very Happy

)

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@Walter Hinteler,

(I couldn't get these blue airmail labels in two post offices in NM, and but they phoned to their head office to ask for the postage charge for the UK and Germany. And they were staffed better than even any larger post office here!)

1 Reply

@Walter Hinteler,

Walter Hinteler wrote:

(I couldn't get these blue airmail labels in two post offices in NM, and but they phoned to their head office to ask for the postage charge for the UK and Germany. And they were staffed better than even any larger post office here!)

You would have gotten better, faster service from FEDEX.

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@georgeob1,

How many American banks are nationalised now?

I've lost count.

All those extolling the virtues of free market capitalism should be hanging their heads in shame.

1 Reply

@Steve 41oo,

That's all the Darwinians Steve.

1 Reply

THE BRITISH THREAD II

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