"Americans need to educate themselves, from elementary school onward, about what their country has done abroad. And they need to play a more active role in ensuring that what the United States does abroad is not merely in keeping with a foreign policy elite's sense of realpolitik but also with the American public's own sense of American values. Because at their core, those values are sound. That is why, even in places where you'll find virulent anti-Americanism, you'll also find enormous affection for things American." An article by Mohsin Hamid, author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist
posted to MetaFilter by A189Nut at 2:41 AM on July 23, 2007 (53 comments)

Hearing Aid waiting list The BBC reports that in some British NHS hospitals the waiting list time for a digital hearing aid is 200 weeks (in others it is 2 weeks...) and perhaps 4m people could benefit from an aid, but don't have one. Not an NHS bashing - but what would the situation be elsewhere? Presumably in some countries - the US? - the waiting list for a digital hearing aid would be infinite, eg if you don't have the money you'll not get one? Does Medicare/Aid cover this over 65? What about Canada?
posted to MetaFilter by A189Nut at 4:39 PM on October 16, 2006 (48 comments)

Chief of the General Staff General Sir Richard Dannatt has given an interview to the Daily Mail in which he says that the presence of British troops makes the security problems in Iraq worse . The General won the MC aged 22 in an action in Northern Ireland, so he presumably knows a thing or two about insurgency, never mind courage. Mr Blair has agreed...
posted to MetaFilter by A189Nut at 4:07 PM on October 13, 2006 (36 comments)

Anti-Americanism So, on this July 4th, how do the British feel about America? A yougov poll from 2 July found that most Brits have great doubts about the USA. The Daily Telegraph, a conservative newspaper reported the poll and in its leader told them off saying "Hate America, Hate Mankind." Forbes thinks it is all envy while this German thinks it's lonely at the top...
posted to MetaFilter by A189Nut at 3:14 PM on July 4, 2006 (73 comments)

Freedom of the seas World,s largest passenger liner, currently docked in Southampton UK, in prep for voyage to New York. Then a life of cruising the Carib. 15m wider than the QM2 Check out the flash tour.
posted to MetaFilter by A189Nut at 3:06 AM on April 29, 2006 (56 comments)

Gone postal Another US postal worker shoots and kills work mates (ex workmates in this case.) As ever Wiki tells all. USPO works to eradicate the usage, but no chance. Now so much part of the culture you can game it
posted to MetaFilter by A189Nut at 7:27 AM on January 31, 2006 (34 comments)