Great Countries

[MacManDan]

All countries are great in their own way, but I wanted to know what you guys think about countries around the world that you've lived in, visited, or travelled through. This is not the place to argue with each other about why we THINK a country is great or why we didn't like it, but rather a place to share opinions and maybe let some people realize they might want to visit a country they normally would never have dreamed (dreamt?) of visiting ;) (that includes no political discussions please .. that's for a different thread)

So without further ado, here is my list:

USA
Pros: My home country and where I've lived all my life. I love the country because it is what I am used to, and it's home to Apple :cool:
Cons: Everyone else in the world seems to hate us. It's frustrating

Mexico
Pros: My father's home country and the butt of all my (bad) jokes. Great vacation spots from Cancun to Puerto Penasco all the way down to Tenochtitlan. It's a beautiful country and a great place to visit.
Cons: I think it's considered third-world .. I couldn't live there because of so many political, technological, and economic problems they have. :(

Canada
I haven't been there in so long I can't remember many details .. (it's been over a decade, and I'm only 18) .. I remember I thought it was a neat place though :)

Austria
Pros: BEAUTIFUL country. It's just amazing. Vienna is awesome. Playing in their concert halls (I toured with my orchestra) was amazing. The acoustics in some of those places just blows me away. Very impressive. Oh! and the food was great!
Cons: I was only there a couple of days, and I remember it being kind of expensive...

Germany
Pros: Another really beautiful country. The history and landscape is just amazing. The autobahn is lots of fun ;) Lots of winding country roads to take your car to its max, and keep you smiling the whole time. The old castles are jaw-dropping (I forget the names of the two I visited). The people I met were really nice, I was very impressed with their hospitality.
Cons: I couldn't learn German enough to converse with more people. Those winding country roads can make you sick if your tour/bus driver is a speed demon (especially when you're jet-lagged).

Czech Republic
Pros: Lots of history and awesome old buildings. Everything is dirt cheap (read: $4 for great beer and great steak .. not that I had any beer.. ahem..). My aunt (who married in to the family) is from that country.
Neutral: The network TV programming is very different. I was watching the weather when a lady started stripping down, butt-naked, then getting dressed in her work clothes. Evening programming involves lots of leather-clad people with whips and spankings. heheh :)
Cons: Communism ravaged the country. It's a mess .. and that's why everything's so cheap.

That's all that I've been to that I can remember for now. I think that's about it though. :cool: So what about you guys (and girls)??

[tazo]

Originally posted by MacManDan

That's all that I've been to that I can remember for now. I think that's about it though. :cool: So what about you guys (and girls)??

Well since I have never left the US :( i can only say that it does seem to be the richest of countries, and as a whole better than many places economically, however I dislike America's stance as the world's police, and the fact that a lot of countries hate us...meh

If I had money I would travel to some of the twenty spanish-speaking countries; most likely Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, Nicaragua and probably Chile. That is my dream...to utilize my 3 years of spanish and explore the spanish-speaking world....Australia and Japan would be next....

[jxyama]

i've lived in the U.S., Japan and Switzerland. (Well, I lived in France, but very close to the Swiss border and actually worked in Geneva...)

I absolutely loved Switzerland. I don't mind paying a bit more for cleaness and efficiency. All the trains are 99% on time, people are polite (little conservative and don't really open up to strangers, but...) and scenaries are beautiful.

[dstorey]

Originally posted by jxyama
i've lived in the U.S., Japan and Switzerland. (Well, I lived in France, but very close to the Swiss border and actually worked in Geneva...)

I absolutely loved Switzerland. I don't mind paying a bit more for cleaness and efficiency. All the trains are 99% on time, people are polite (little conservative and don't really open up to strangers, but...) and scenaries are beautiful.

Did you work in Cern and live in St. Genis or Thoiry by any chance?

[jxyama]

ha ha, as a matter of fact, yes. i worked at cern from 1999 to 2001 for my ph.d. i lived in st. genis...

i had fairly flexible work schedule, so i took advantage of it and traveled a lot in switzerland. i also loved prague, but i was there for just a few days so i can't comment on how "great" the czech rep. is...

[dstorey]

I worked as a techie at Cern 2000-2001 and lived in Les Hautains part of St.Genis...probably seen you a frew times in the only bar in town, Charlies (well except that strange french bar no one ever visited)...though i mostly went out in the likes of Flanagans in Genf....didn't spend much time in france really.

[wdlove]

USA is the country that is hated by many, but it's the country that everyone is trying to move to!

[jxyama]

ha ha, i lived at les hautains too! my roommate and i called it the "projects" because it reminded us of cheap subsidised housing...

back to on topic...
many people want to move to the u.s. because working at min. wage in the states still beats their salaries back home. wanting to move doesn't mean they love the country/people/social infrastracture. and many people wanting to move their does not make a country "great."

many people in asia wants to move to japan to work because in a month, they can earn as much as what they earn in a year back home. but i'm sure they don't appreciate japanese' generally closed minded attitude toward gaijins.

i like the opportunities the u.s. provides, but i also don't like the fact some people take those opportunities for granted.

[end of political statement... no more for me before it gets out of hand.]

by the way, one non-political thing i don't like about the u.s. is its vastness. (which has many good things about it, but...) i'm in michigan and it's 4 hours away from one culturally rich city (chicago), which it too far. (not to mention the road in between are dead flat...) i like dynamic landscape (mountains, valleys, lakes, etc.) with many cultural cities close by. so that's why i loved switzerland.

[pseudobrit]

Originally posted by wdlove
USA is the country that is hated by many, but it's the country that everyone is trying to move to!

Not true.

The BBC did a poll about world perception of the USA and 96% of Americans thought that, given a choice of any nation, everyone in the world would move to the US.

In actuality, only 14% of those polled said they'd move to the US given a choice of any country in the world.

[sketchy]

My wife and I spent out honeymoon in Italy.

Rome was amazing in the historical standpoint, the architecture and museums are amazing. The people, on the other hand, were quick and busy. Some not so nice.. And the non licensed Taxi's were insane.

Florence (Firenze) was worth moving to. After spending 5 days in Rome we went to Firenze. We spent 8 days there and started acting like "normals." Florence was very laid back, most tourists show up and try to hit all the important sights in one or two days. The Duomo, The Uffizi, David, the leather market, and the outdoor markets. then they leave.

This is not how to visit a foreign country. We went to one or two things a day, spent a lot of time at each place and enjoyed what we saw and did. We would sit outside a restaurant and drink wine and watch people for an hour or so. We spent an hour or more for dinner and walked home drunk. And we walked, a lot, watched people, talked to people. Take to time to familiarize yourself with the language, taking a few steps to learn common phrases and friendly banter will go a loooong way.

I can speak rudimentary Italian, and can order off an Italian menu. If you greeted the wait staff at a restaurant in Italian they gave you the Italian menu, otherwise you got the American/tourist menu. Some were the same, but many were different. Needless to say - the tourist menu was usually full of generic crap. and if they see that you cannot speak Italian very well, they will usually help you and speak English.

Dave
(and Take at least One day and make no plans. just walk around, explore, get to know the nooks and crannies of the city.)

[jxyama]

good call... when my parents and bro/sis visited me in europe, we had to do precisely what you described in florence.

we enjoyed it but we really had to cram in the touristy things because we didn't have much time. i know we didn't really get to know florence but i value the simple fact all of my family was together as well... i'd personally love to go back and just hang out in florence...

when my parents visited me in switzerland, i had scouted switzerland enough to plan their trip well for them. i mapped out all the train routes and the amount of time spent on each city so they'd get a good feel for the country.

just in case you guys couldn't figure it out, i'm a swiss zealot. :D

[tpjunkie]

Well, countries I've visited... (I live in the USA, and enough has been said in this thread about it and I don't want to turn it into a political discussion) in no particular order:

Canada - Great skiing, good exchange rate, and the drinking age is 18. What's not to like? Oh yeah, and its close (7 hours from home in NJ, 4 from school here in NY). Just got to get used to the "eh?" after every sentence :p

Japan - Amazing place. When I traveled to Japan the exchange rate was very strong against the yen,, a dollar would buy you just over 125 yen. The people there were actually exceedingly friendly and polite to us "Gaijin" (which by the way is uesd as a derrogatory term). The electronics available in Japan when I was there two years ago are just now hitting the shelves in the USA. (Those cell phones with color cameras? Every high school kid had one) The food there is incredibly good, the one bad thing about it is it ruins Japanese restaurants in the USA for you. I have never had anything here that comes close. And Japanese TV? Its exactly as crazy as its portrayed on shows like the Simpsons.

Britain - Well, I didn't spend much time in Wales or Scotland, so I'm gonna talk about England. England was a lot of fun, although the food was only so-so in most of the places I ate. For the money, you really couldn't beat a pub for quality vs price, although I have heard that because of the EU now, restaurants have become much better. The sights in england were amazing, I visited the tower of london, saw the crown jewels, I went to oxford, stonehenge, and Shakespeare's house, among many other things. Plus, I got to catch up on my britcoms on TV. I also saw "Who wants to be a millionaire" a year before it came out in the States. And some of the tv channels broadcast softcore porn after 10 P.M.

Isreal - Isreal was a lot of fun, I went back in '94 though, so I was only like 11. We pretty much toured the place from the Golan Heights down to Eilat, and stayed in Jerusalem for about a week. I don't speak more than a few words of Hebrew, but most of the people speak pretty decent english. I'd say the sights in Jerusalem and the rest of Isreal were among some of the most impressive, with the Roman ruins, Judean ruins, and everything else to see.

I was supposed to go to Italy senior year of High School for the bi-annual exchange trip we do, but that was pretty much canceled on the second day of school, 9/11. :( Now I'm trying to figure out where I want to take my term abroad, and I'm leaning towards Japan (It was just so cool!), Australia (beats the heck out of a winter in upstate NY), or Italy ('Cause now I'm starting to forget my italian, so, Io piace vado al Italia!)

[Abstract]

Cool, I love world culture-type threads. ;) I've been to lots of countries, but that doesn't mean I'd move to all of them.

England - Ah yes, London. I may move there, who knows. I love the attitude. Its so much more laid back than in Canada and the USA, where everything is so politically correct and censored. You don't realize how smothered North America is until you've lived in England. The tolerance level on things is just so much higher.

I've lived in Durham. It was *yawn*. :p

Scotland - I enjoyed Edinburgh. I was there for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last summer (the largest Fringe festival in the world). It was spectacular, although it was pouring rain. :) It sucked. I'd live in Edinburgh or Glagow or something because it feels a lot like England.


France - I'd move to France, but they'd hate you if you lived there and didn't speak french. I'm sure they're all tired of tourists, especially American tourists. I'm Canadian, but since I speak "like an American", my Canadian-ness doesn't shine through.
Also, I make sure that I have a Canadian flag on my backpack or somewhere on me so that people know I'm not American. :p :cool:

Austria - Very beautiful, very green. I wasn't there for long whatsoever (less than a day), but I only got a chance to visit the very very small town of St. Johann. It was great. I'd live there despite not knowing their industry and economy very well. The experience of living there for a year would be good enough.

Switzerland - I didn't realize how dirty London and other cities were until I went to Geneva (and then back to Toronto). Canada really is clean!!, but so is Geneva.

USA/Thailand/S. Korea/Mexico/China - They were all nice, great places to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there

Hong Kong - It depends. I would live there, but I'd have to get a good job. Otherwise, the living conditions aren't the best.

Concerning 12 or so Carribean Islands - They would be great to live at if you didn't mind NOT having a job related to your degree (Medical Radiation Physics), but great if you want to bum around as a waiter for a year. ;)
Don't know what it would be like to actually live there, though. I've only been to the main, touristy areas. That's the problem. :o

Australia - I AM moving there for about a year (from Feb 2004 - ??) to get my M.Sc. , so it should be fun. (YAY!!!!) :D :D

[jefhatfield]

usa...i love it for too many reasons to list

japan...being a techie, i love the high tech gadjets and computers

england...i enjoyed the history of the capitol when i lived there in 85

wales, northern ireland...beautiful green countryside...unlike where i live which is mostly dry

hawaii...not a country, but my paradise

ps...thanks abstract, for pointing out this thread to me:p

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by tpjunkie
And some of the tv channels broadcast softcore porn after 10 P.M.

I'm glad we offer something of value other than hundreds/thousnds of years of great history :eek: BTW, it's called Channel 5 (Brits will understand ;)) :D

[iGav]

Originally posted by tpjunkie
And some of the tv channels broadcast softcore porn after 10 P.M.

That'll be Channel 5 then.... :p :p :p

They'd broadcast it at breakfast if they could get away with it!! heh-heh!

[iGav]

Originally posted by edesignuk
I'm glad we offer something of value other than hundreds/thousnds of years of great history :eek: BTW, it's called Channel 5 (Brits will understand ;)) :D

it's something of an institution isn't it.... :p :p :p :p

[idea_hamster]

Originally posted by Abstract
I'd move to France, but they'd hate you if you lived there and didn't speak french. I'm sure they're all tired of tourists, especially American tourists.
When I went to Paris in 2001, I was actually surprized to find that while my French is mediocre, I didn't find that I they had (obvious) issues with me.

In fact, my m.o. in French is to sort of do a quick run through in my head of how a certain conversation might go, then [approach shop owner/call bartender/whatever]. But my then-girlfriend would immediately shout "Excusez-moi" (the only thing she really knew) and then point to me when [whoever] came over. Hysterical. That one sure kept me on my toes.

Paris -- city of lights. France has some greatness in it.

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by iGAV
That'll be Channel 5 then.... :p :p :p

They'd broadcast it at breakfast if they could get away with it!! heh-heh!
LMFAO! Isn't it funny how we both thought of the exact same channel out of all that are available on Sat/Cable :D Just shows the crappy rep they have in the U.K, if you can pick the damn channel up that is ;) :D :eek:

[iGav]

Originally posted by edesignuk
LMFAO! Isn't it funny how we both thought of the exact same channel out of all that are available on Sat/Cable :D Just shows the crappy rep they have in the U.K, if you can pick the damn channel up that is ;) :D :eek:

like there's any other choice for that late night freebie-fleshy-fix!! heh-heh!!

and the next thing that came into my mind was "How'd the hell he get a picture??" :p :p :p

I think it's because they have their transmitters hidden and driven around in the back of Transit vans just incase the broadcast authority trys to close them down!! :p :p :p

[thebossisback]

I live in Providence, Rhode Island and it is nice, but the houses here are too expensive. If you dont have $400,000 to buy a house than you are screwed

[Foucault]

PHILIPPINES[B]
PROS: Beautiful beaches, beautiful women, cheap beer, warm weather, and warm oceans.
CONS: Humidity, overcrowded, too many hungry kids begging for food, dirty, and smelly.

THAILAND
PROS: lots of ravers, people just wanting to have fun, great weed, nobody cares about anything, everbody wants to party, Full Moon Party, and Koh Samui.
CONS: Too many phreaking tourists, lots of drug smugglers, and the water makes me puke.

FRANCE
PROS: Eiffel Tower, beautiful french chicks, and croissants.
CONS: Rude frenchies, nasty weather, bad food, bad body odor, and people speaking french.

MEXICO
PROS: Tijuana, cheap liquor, beautiful beaches, beautiful women, tequila shots, and prostitutes.
CONS: Some prostitues are guys, donkey shows, kids selling chiclets, horrible weed, and bad hangovers.

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by thebossisback
I live in Providence, Rhode Island and it is nice, but the houses here are too expensive. If you dont have $400,000 to buy a house than you are screwed

isn't your town full of great schools for the kids?

just curious...i read somewhere that it was one of the best for that as well as many other things

in california, salinas was named great on all counts in two different articles i read as highest rated city in california...good weather, relatively low crime rate per population, racial harmony, highly rated schools, but strangely no four year universities within 15 miles of the city center

i live near salinas in the general region around it, but i would rather live almost anywhere else but salinas...but salinas is whre the biggest businesses are, the car dealerships with the best prices, and the county court system

when a survey says san francisco is a great american city, many agree that the outlying areas like marin county and burlingame are actually a better place to own your house...and then commute to the inner city in san francisco

for los angeles, studio city and calabasas are nice townships near the inner city without the traffic, crime, and urban noise

[billyboy]

Having travelled or worked for extended periods in Sudan, Nepal, California, France and England, and visited all over Europe, I am now living in and will hopefully never leave Castilla y Léon in Spain.

It is for me the perfect mix of Africa and Europe, which isnt a bad combination. Africa is a continent that hits you straight in the heart and never leaves you. The sense of family, the strength of character of people absolutely living on the edge, and the wildness are amazing. On the other hand, although much about Europe is nothing to be proud of, (ie the state of Africa´s economy) the genuine freedom we enjoy as Europeans, as opposed to the illusion of freedom I felt exists in the States, and the 2000 year-old culture, suits me fine.

You still have to slow down for the donkeys and goat herds crossing the roads, but there is every mod car and mod con you can ever need, and the cost of living outside Madrid and Barcelona means that it is still possible to live a very simple life outside the rat race, if you so desire.

And BTW Channel 5 has nothing on the gooey offerings you see on Spain´s Channel 6 on a Friday night. ;)

[thebossisback]

isn't your town full of great schools for the kids?

just curious...i read somewhere that it was one of the best for that as well as many other things.


Well yes, the private schools are good but they cost at least $13,000 a year and there is also Brown university. But as far as public school goes, they all suck here. They are overcrowdedand under supervised. At one of the local highschools, they have police in the lunchroom everday because there are always fights. And just last month someone brought a gun to school.

[Abstract]

Originally posted by billyboy
Having travelled or worked for extended periods in Sudan, Nepal, California, France and England, and visited all over Europe, I am now living in and will hopefully never leave Castilla y Léon in Spain.

It is for me the perfect mix of Africa and Europe, which isnt a bad combination. Africa is a continent that hits you straight in the heart and never leaves you. The sense of family, the strength of character of people absolutely living on the edge, and the wildness are amazing............. the genuine freedom we enjoy as Europeans, as opposed to the illusion of freedom I felt exists in the States, and the 2000 year-old culture, suits me fine....


That sounds very cool. Great list of countries. :) I hope to have a life where I've travelled to countries that are not quite as popular as the ones most people go to. Yes, I had a long list myself, and my friends think its cool having been to over 25+ countries, but they were mostly touristy places, and I enjoyed myself and only drank, ate, and saw the sites. I've lived in London and actually experienced life there (not as a tourist), and I stayed in Hong Kong for a month, but its not the same. The countries I named are simply outclassed by the experience you must have had travelling through places like Sudan and Nepal. I'd trade it all in for those 2 countries, I think. :)

[BaghdadBob]

I've heard it said that Czech Chichs are among the most beautiful and down-to-earth in the world.

The loudest countries in the world have had disdain for the US for a long, long time. The more we do that isn't exactly what everyone else demands of us, the louder it gets. I've learned to hold my own opinions on what we do and roll my eyes at what the world thinks.

[kiwi_the_iwik]

I can't believe that no-one's mentioned NEW ZEALAND yet...

By far the prettiest, friendliest and adventure-laden place on this earth.

(also where I'm from...)

Where else can you go skiing in the morning, and scuba diving in the afternoon? It's also the place where bungy-jumping was invented...

www.newzealand.com

After spending the majority of my life travelling around the world, I look forward to taking an early retirement in 17 years' time (when I'm 50) and moving back to NZ - where I'll buy a nice 3-bedroom Kauri house on the beach, and spend my days sailing and fishing...

:cool:

[maradong]

Originally posted by wdlove
USA is the country that is hated by many, but it's the country that everyone is trying to move to!
bs.
not everybody hates the us. I for instance dont. all i do is hate the governement in place at the moment, but that is of topic. thought most people in europe feel so.

Well Luxembourg:
Pro -> it s just plain beatiful, nice to live hear.
Contra -> the population density is just going up and up. pretty sucky if you imagine that the whole country will be a big town in something like 80 years or so. :(
at least that are the plans of the governement. "shoot'em up"

[Balin64]

I-R-E-L-A-N-D!

Enough said.

I am actually trying to move there; I have a work Visa; maybe I'll just stay: time to leave the fetid mound of lies and hipocrisy that has become of the USA...

[groovebuster]

Originally posted by wdlove
USA is the country that is hated by many, but it's the country that everyone is trying to move to!

Not really... why you guys always think that? I only know few people who would like to live in the USA and they are outweighed by far by people who would like to live somewhere else...

When my wife finished her education we'll move to Canada (her home country). Great place to live. I also like a lot of other places, but it is enough to go on vacation there.

groovebuster

[groovebuster]

Originally posted by BaghdadBob
I've learned to hold my own opinions on what we do and roll my eyes at what the world thinks.

Yeah... that is much more easier than really thinking about WHY maybe the world thinks how it does...

groovebuster

[BaghdadBob]

Originally posted by groovebuster
Yeah... that is much more easier than really thinking about WHY maybe the world thinks how it does...

groovebuster
I can form my opinions without getting some global majority. I'm trying to point out that there's a certain disposition out there, and I don't listen to biased opinions.

Think of it this way: does a liberal hive a good god damn what Rush Limbaugh thinks about liberal issues? No. Because your average liberal would do well to assume that Rush has a certain disposition that doesn't lend itself to forming and discussing opinions that are in the best interest of, say, the Democratic party. So, even if said liberal is willing to listen to a conservative viewpoint, they don't care to hear that viewpoint from someone they deem to be unreasonably biased.

As I stated, I think there is a certain bias against the US, and this goes a long, long way back, and it rears it's ugly head any time there is something controversial that the US is up to. Why should I listen to such people?

I'm perfectly capable of forming informed opinions. And don't accuse me of taking the easy way out -- I don't.

[caveman_uk]

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik
I can't believe that no-one's mentioned NEW ZEALAND yet...

By far the prettiest, friendliest and adventure-laden place on this earth.

(also where I'm from...)

Where else can you go skiing in the morning, and scuba diving in the afternoon? It's also the place where bungy-jumping was invented...

www.newzealand.com

After spending the majority of my life travelling around the world, I look forward to taking an early retirement in 17 years' time (when I'm 50) and moving back to NZ - where I'll buy a nice 3-bedroom Kauri house on the beach, and spend my days sailing and fishing...

:cool:
New Zealand is a great place. I've been twice. It's just so damn far away. A 28 hour flight!!!!:( In terms of living and working there from what I've read the salaries are pretty poor and you only get three weeks vacation / holiday a year. The salaries thing only matters when you buy imported stuff (like Macs :rolleyes: ) as food and housing is cheap. But the three weeks holiday thing sucks when the country is so beautiful and you don't get time off to see it :(

BaghdadBob: Who the Hell is Rush Limbaugh?????

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Originally posted by caveman_uk
But the three weeks holiday thing sucks when the country is so beautiful and you don't get time off to see it :(


Depends on your job, of course...

;)

[maradong]

the salary is not important if you can have an interesting and joyful live overthere. being happy with what you have i mean...

im pretty interested in living an a country of oceania, thought it s appearantly very difficult to be allowed to immigrate.:mad:

[groovebuster]

Originally posted by BaghdadBob
Think of it this way: does a liberal hive a good god damn what Rush Limbaugh thinks about liberal issues? No. Because your average liberal would do well to assume that Rush has a certain disposition that doesn't lend itself to forming and discussing opinions that are in the best interest of, say, the Democratic party. So, even if said liberal is willing to listen to a conservative viewpoint, they don't care to hear that viewpoint from someone they deem to be unreasonably biased.

I think that is something totally different. Actually it is always important to listen what others have to say instead of just "rolling your eyes" and being prejudice about their view. And it is also a big difference if I have just a different opinion about something and say: "Hey, I guess we think different" or if I am thinking "what a bunch of idiots, they are not worth talking to".

Of course it doesn't make sense time-wise to discuss with everybody every subject every day, but it is big part of getting along to try to understand why someone else is thinking like he does and to verify your own point-of-view all the time. The entire truth is something that no human being can claim for itself.

So you would consider yourself as not being unreasonably biased, depending on the point of view? How would you think about people who don't care to talk to you about subjects that are important for you because they don't feel like talking to somebody they consider "not worth talking to"? What's the next step if parts of your life are depending on it? Violance?
Declaring war? That's exactly the misery of this world...

So all this is pretty much OT, but I felt like sharing my views on that anyway...

groovebuster

[mac15]

my opinion maybe a little bias but australia is the nicest place in the world

[billyboy]

Originally posted by Abstract
That sounds very cool. Great list of countries. ... like Sudan and Nepal. I'd trade it all in for those 2 countries, I think. :)

Without being too prescriptive, I think it should be an obligation for every adult from the West to go and live (not be a tourist) in a country like the above for three months. :D

No way could anyone with that experience ever get hung up about their Mac not quite working perfectly, nor moan about a train being a couple of minutes late/over-crowded, nor get het up with whatever other minor inconveniences our molly coddled society has to dish up. Or if they do, they need a good slap.

Life for over 70% of people on this earth is very very dodgy at even the survival level. Lest we forget - and all that.