Beckham,

Regardless of what you say, saying that "American & English soldiers won't fight," is calling them cowards. You just didn't use that specific word.

As for the jokes, it doesn't matter. It just shows their total stupidity, and self-indulgence. I still say, they are not the majority, regardless of the fact you seem to think they are. The Barney Rubble thing tells me that their TV viewing habits probably doesn't extend past a cartoon level. Don't be ashamed of it, what they say, or do, doesn't matter. There's people like that all over the world, including the U.S.

Yes, the plane may have been diverted. So what? Most Americans, who are not Jewish, or Muslim, wouldn't have any idea which was which. Yet you would have known the difference? If you do, more power to you, I personally wouldn't have known the difference.

So... tell me about the flights in Ireland now? I heard they were down by over 60% from what happened on 9-11. I don't call that fear, I call that healthy paranoia. People should not fly if it concerns them.

I've always liked the statements that people hate Americans because we're "stupid" and the other... "Because!" Really a lot of worldly knowledge expressed in both. After someone expresses one of those politically sound statements, I always think of one word to describe them. "Loser!"

Wolf (Who thinks ignorance is not an excuse for being rude, but returning rudeness for rudeness is fair.)

Nope, beckham. I don't believe in insulting others. How can a moderator (most of whom probably think of themselves as GOD - Exception: MadridMan, who is imperfect to say the least) be good at his/her job while insulting others?? I prefer to live each day with a clear conscience and relaxed disposition. Remember my mantra: "If you can't say anything nice about someone don't say anything at all."

Latka, of the (late 1970s) 1980s TV show TAXI, was a slavic-like(?) immigrant character, not speaking much English, nice, sweet, honest, hard working, misunderstood, sensitive mechanic in a New York City taxi company whose (nearly) only lines were "Thank you very much." That's all there is to that. My referrence to him had nothing to do with you, your comments, or this thread.

(Say, does anyone else hear a ticking noise in this thread anywhere??)

Saludos, MadridMan

[ 10-15-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Madridman: You would think Latka would have to be the least insulting or offending character to reference since he was from a fictitious country/ethnicity. Now we know things have gotten out of hand

Yikes!

Now, if Latka would have been a cartoon character, there wouldn't have been any problem in identification.

I loved Latka, and Rev. Jim. No two better characters in one sit-com during the era.

Of course I'm a "radical" just like those two characters were....

Every time I went to NYC I kept looking for their cab company, and kept finding the Soup Nazi's place and ending up in line to get his soup. Best darned soup I've ever had, and he's about the only person I could accept total rudeness from because I wanted his soup so bad...

Wolf

hi there,

i have to say that i have started changing my mind about Spain recently. i hope it is only temporary though.

but right after the attacks i sent a letter to 2 basque friends of mine...saying i hoped that this event would make everyone in the world look at things a little differently.
both replied that "It was a horrible thing, but..."

everyone over there seems to have a BUT, saying we deserved it...all those people deserved to die because of US policy.

i have lived in europe obviously, and this talk is nothing new.

but if Europe and Spain are so wonderful and progressive, where were their protests when bodies were dumped in mass graves in Bosnia and Kosovo? i no longer take anything criticism from Europe seriously...especially as ETA suspects are tortured in spain and chechens go through horrific torture...while Europe says nothing.

no one country owns the patent on hypocrisy...we don't have all of it, there is obviously plenty to go around.

besides these terror attacks weren't about politics, they were about finding an enemy to bolster their warped religious cause.

PS. not related but..Latka was Lithuanian I believe

Brian
Houston

Wolfgang - Flights in Ireland now? The two major airlines Aer Lingus+Ryanair have had mixed fortunes, Aer Lingus are looking to reduce its work force by 2,500 whereas Ryanair are doing quiet well and the owner of Ryanair has accused airlines of using the terror attacks in the United States as an excuse to ask for State aid. The acting Group Chief Executive, Larry Stanley, said “Before the tragic events of September 11 in the USA we were facing severe problems,” he said. “The foot and mouth situation had hurt us and the downturn in the world economies compounded things. The fall off in business traffic, in particular, had a severe impact on what is the most profitable part or our business,” he said.

Wolfgang & Beckham: Here are some personal experiences I would like to share with you: Sep 24 I arrived at Newark airport 3.5 hours early for Continental flight 24 (Shannon). Departure lounges for London & Manchester flights were pretty empty. I was surprised to find the one for the Shannon flight full of passengers. I would estimate the flight as about 85% full. We arrived at Shannon on time and without incident. My return flight on Oct 4th was only about 40% full (it was a Thursday - typically low pax-volume day).

All of the airlines have suffered because of the events of 9/11. Most are flying reduced schedules. Two (Swissair & Sabena) have gone 'belly up,' as the expression goes. So the fact that Aer Lingus is cutting back on some of its flights doesn't mean Aer Lingus is the only airline doing that. Even Ryan Air is feeling the impact of the events of 9/11. Much of the public is just afraid to fly these days.

This Spring (Jun 2nd) I took RyanAir Dublin to London (Luton) - total cost: 20 IEP.
I think RyanAir carved its market niche more from the people who took Irish Ferries across the Irish Sea rather than cutting deeply into Aer Lingus' passenger base. Now they have expanded to Hahn, Germany (about 80km from Frankfurt) and Charleroi, Belgium (south of Brussels).

RyanAir will continue to grow, probably more because it's the only discount carrier serving the Irish Republic (unlike the UK where there are any number of low fare airlines, several of dubious reliability).

Eddie

Appreciate that feedback - Just from the newspaper and TV reports Michael O Leary ( chief executive of Ryanair )is giving the impression that the events of 11th sept are having no affects on passenger travel on his airline and that as I said in my last post that airlines that were losing money anyway are just using the terrorist attacks as a way of claiming state aid. As you say in your post Ryanair will continue to grow, being an Irish citizen myself, I find the fares of Aer Lingus somewhat expensive, also Ryanair can look quite appealing with its low airfares but they only fly from Dublin, sometimes to avail of these fares means flying on restricted times i.e 6 in the morning, for me thats means a 3 hr drive to Dublin or a previous nights stay in Dublin, therefore adding more expense.
Just saw on the news that half of the concorde seats have been sold out in the first two hours, that is amazing considering for one , that people are hestitant to fly and secondly the air crash last year!! just proves that people should quosh any fears of flying and go on holiday as millions of people have done before the attacks of 11 sept.

How are people in the USA feeling about the increase in the number of people coming into contact with Anthrax? Is there a sense of panic or people remaining calm ?

Just a little note, that really makes sense:
TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES
This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.
America: The Good Neighbor.
Widespread but only partial news coverage was given
recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from
Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television
Commentator. What follows is the full text of his
trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional
Record:

"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the
Americans as the most generous and possibly the
least appreciated people on all the earth. Germany,
Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy
were lifted out of the debris of war by the
Americans who poured in billions of dollars and
forgave other billions in debts.

None of these countries is today paying even the
interest on its remaining debts to the United
States. When France was in danger of collapsing in
1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and
their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the
streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.

When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the
United States that hurries in to help. This spring,
59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes.
Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the Truman
Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged
countries. Now newspapers in those countries are
writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans.

I'd like to see just one of those countries that is
gloating over the erosion of the United States
dollar build its own airplane. Does any other
country in the world have a plane to equal the
Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the
Douglas DC10?

If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the
International lines except Russia fly American
Planes? Why does no other land on earth even
consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You
talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios.
You talk about German technocracy, and you get
automobiles. You talk about American technocracy,
and you find men on the moon - not once, but several
times - and safely home again.

You talk about scandals, and the Americans put
theirs right in the store window for everybody to
look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued
and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most
of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are
getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to
spend here.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were
breaking down through age, it was the Americans who
rebuilt them When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the
New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an
old caboose. Both are still broke.

I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced
to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name
me even one time when someone else raced to the
Americans in trouble? I don't think there was
outside help even during the San Francisco
earthquake.


Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one
Canadian who is d***ed tired of hearing them get
kicked around. They will come out of this thing
with their flag high. And when they do, they are
entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are
gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada
is not one of those."

Stand proud, America! Wear it proudly!!
This is one of the best editorials that I have ever
read regarding the United States. It is nice that
one man realizes it. I only wish that the rest of
the world would realize it. We are always blamed for
everything, and never even get a thank you for the
things we do.

When Europeans or other nationalities critize the US and say "We hate Americans 'Because' or there stupid" is just plain IGNORANCE!
Beckham,
It seems like your Spanish and Irish friends are not too smart, they should take a few history classes and see how the US has helped so many countries around the world.
It was nice of you not to have laughed when the other fools did.

People:
The attacks on 9-11 at the WTC were acts done by Cowards! Bin Laden, the Taliban, AL Queda and these other terrorists organizations are a bunch of dangerous fools.
Usually these organizations are managed by 2 or 3 key people who carismatic, rich or have lots of influence. They in turn brain-wash thousands of poor, un-educated, kids and peasants to follow their cause.
They are a very horrible type of cancer that rapidly spreads all over the world.

People here in the US are a bit alarm about the Antrax cases being found. Like anything, there are people who can care less, others a little and a few are just paranoid about almost anything.

Later..
Peace in the Middle East.