Why do the people who train for years and/or do real work like research, building things and making things generally get paid less than the idiots who move money around for a living and who brought us all to the brink of ruin?
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Land of the Unequal?
According to Forbes magazine the wealthiest 400 Americans control as much money as the poorest 150 million Americans. In other words the top 400 have more money than the bottom 50% of the population. Expand it to the top 1% and they have more than everyone else put together. I wonder when the 99% are going to wake up to this?
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Freedom of speech and responsibility
One of the most refreshing things about living in the USA is the protection of the freedom of speech and the fact that, for most people, it is a right that is both taken seriously and respected. OK, there are downsides; like having to put up with the evil hate that is spouted by groups like the Westboro Baptist group (I really don't like to call them a Church because they are basically an extended family of nut cases). And then there is the rabid rabble raising of Hannity, O'Reilly and Beck. But, for the most part the right is used respectfully and sensibly.
Contrast this with the embarrassing state of the media in Europe where in France it is almost impossible to report the sexual/criminal activities of the rich and powerful; meanwhile in the UK rich celebrities and sportsmen like Ryan Giggs can take out expensive court injunctions to prevent the women that they have had affairs with from telling anyone. Top it all with the disgusting activities of Rupert Murdoch's News International empire who hacked into the phones of a murdered child and British soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Bearing in mind that the Fox channel is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Group, I'd still rather put up with Hannity, O'Reilly and Beck than the insidious activities of his empire in Europe. At least I can choose whether I listen to them or not and I don't have to worry that they are hacking my phone or have me under covert surveillance.
Contrast this with the embarrassing state of the media in Europe where in France it is almost impossible to report the sexual/criminal activities of the rich and powerful; meanwhile in the UK rich celebrities and sportsmen like Ryan Giggs can take out expensive court injunctions to prevent the women that they have had affairs with from telling anyone. Top it all with the disgusting activities of Rupert Murdoch's News International empire who hacked into the phones of a murdered child and British soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Bearing in mind that the Fox channel is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Group, I'd still rather put up with Hannity, O'Reilly and Beck than the insidious activities of his empire in Europe. At least I can choose whether I listen to them or not and I don't have to worry that they are hacking my phone or have me under covert surveillance.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Trial By Media?
Dominic Strauss Kahn, Casey Anthony, OJ Simpson, Christopher Jefferies: what have these people got in common? Trial by media?
I'm sure that US readers of this will know exactly who the first three people are, just like UK readers will know who Christopher Jefferies is, because all of these people have had their guilt or innocence decided in the media before any trial ever took place. It's not just a US phenomenon but it's definitely a part of life here in the USA.
OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony were both declared guilty of murder in the "court of public opinion" but went on to be found innocent of murder by their jury. DSK and Jefferies were also declared guilty by the same media court before the case against DSK started to fall apart and Jefferies was cleared when the real murderer was caught. The difference between Europe and the USA couldn't be more obvious in this respect. It almost doesn't matter that OJ was found guilty in a civil case and has been a pariah ever since; and Casey Anthony now faces life under the shadow of presumed guilt because we all know that "she done it really".
Meanwhile, back in Europe, the media outlets which cast their guilty judgment on Jefferies are facing contempt of court charges and the French are still dismayed at the treatment of DSK as he was paraded for the media, unshaven and in handcuffs for the traditional "perp walk".
Is the US moving towards an assumption of guilty-until-proven-innocent or have the decadent old Euros gone soft on crime?
I'm sure that US readers of this will know exactly who the first three people are, just like UK readers will know who Christopher Jefferies is, because all of these people have had their guilt or innocence decided in the media before any trial ever took place. It's not just a US phenomenon but it's definitely a part of life here in the USA.
OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony were both declared guilty of murder in the "court of public opinion" but went on to be found innocent of murder by their jury. DSK and Jefferies were also declared guilty by the same media court before the case against DSK started to fall apart and Jefferies was cleared when the real murderer was caught. The difference between Europe and the USA couldn't be more obvious in this respect. It almost doesn't matter that OJ was found guilty in a civil case and has been a pariah ever since; and Casey Anthony now faces life under the shadow of presumed guilt because we all know that "she done it really".
Meanwhile, back in Europe, the media outlets which cast their guilty judgment on Jefferies are facing contempt of court charges and the French are still dismayed at the treatment of DSK as he was paraded for the media, unshaven and in handcuffs for the traditional "perp walk".
Is the US moving towards an assumption of guilty-until-proven-innocent or have the decadent old Euros gone soft on crime?
Monday, July 4, 2011
Fireworks & the 4th of July
Happy birthday America!
Looking forwards to the fireworks tonight even though it is illegal to set off fireworks here in Ohio unless you have a licence. Yes, you read that right, you can buy fireworks in Ohio but you have to take them out of the state within 48 hours.
I found this out a couple of years ago when I had selected a rather large array of rather large fireworks to celebrate the old pagan fire festival of Samhain (aka Bonfire Night). The sales clerk gave me a form to sign stating that I would be taking the fireworks out of Ohio within 48 hours and was rather surprised when I told her that I was actually going to set them off. Needless to say that she was not amused by my protestations that it can't be right that you can own a gun but not be allowed to set off fireworks.
On the 5th of November I'm pretty sure that I'd have had the whole local fire and police departments arriving at my house if I had set them off. With tonight being the 4th July I'll join my American friends in celebrating their county's birthday.
Have a good 4th everyone.
Looking forwards to the fireworks tonight even though it is illegal to set off fireworks here in Ohio unless you have a licence. Yes, you read that right, you can buy fireworks in Ohio but you have to take them out of the state within 48 hours.
I found this out a couple of years ago when I had selected a rather large array of rather large fireworks to celebrate the old pagan fire festival of Samhain (aka Bonfire Night). The sales clerk gave me a form to sign stating that I would be taking the fireworks out of Ohio within 48 hours and was rather surprised when I told her that I was actually going to set them off. Needless to say that she was not amused by my protestations that it can't be right that you can own a gun but not be allowed to set off fireworks.
On the 5th of November I'm pretty sure that I'd have had the whole local fire and police departments arriving at my house if I had set them off. With tonight being the 4th July I'll join my American friends in celebrating their county's birthday.
Have a good 4th everyone.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Welcome to Legal Alien
I'm an alien
I'm a legal alien
I'm a guest in the USA
This is a blog about living in the USA as seen through the eyes of someone who was not born here. I hope that this blog will help people outside of the USA to understand their American cousins a little better as well as giving US citizens an opportunity to understand how foreigners perceive them. I'm making an open offer to others to contribute to this mission as long as everyone keeps it civilized and intelligent. In other words, profanity, racism, bigotry, unsubstantiated insults and untruths are not welcome here.
I'm a legal alien
I'm a guest in the USA
This is a blog about living in the USA as seen through the eyes of someone who was not born here. I hope that this blog will help people outside of the USA to understand their American cousins a little better as well as giving US citizens an opportunity to understand how foreigners perceive them. I'm making an open offer to others to contribute to this mission as long as everyone keeps it civilized and intelligent. In other words, profanity, racism, bigotry, unsubstantiated insults and untruths are not welcome here.
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