north americans have a lot to answer for

I'm still waiting for a reasonable explanation of American (Gag) football which is more "stick it in your armpit and run through a bunch of guys to the other end of the field, trying not to get knocked down and piled on then hoping you do it well it enough so one guy on your team gets to kick it through the world's biggest tuning fork". Whew!

Ok, this SLAYS me! Fun fun fun!!! My dad, who BOASTS of his heritage, as hailing from several parts of the United Kingdom, claims that a lot of TV programs are copies of what started in ENGLAND!!! IE. "Three's Company" = "Man About the House" "THe Brits did it first!!!" American cuisine, or, an example of it, ie POPOVERS are simply crispy versions of YORKSHIRE pudding, or YORKSHIRE pud, as it was more colloquially expressed. And you want to go on about not so healthy fast food? Uh, fish and chips? Chip butty? (you mentioned the Mars bar thing, and I, a Canadian, have had the sense to never even go NEAR such an idea) (for fear of falling in love, I admit) Oh, BOTH nations are off shoots, in large part of Merry old England. The province next to ours sports a BAGPIPE playing lassie at their WELCOME to our Province! After all, it is NEW SCOTLAND! And you couldn't get much closer Scottish geography anywhere else in North America than Cape Breton. I recommended my Dad come and live in PEI, 'cause its so like home, he'd feel like a kid again!!! Now, Mexico, you can blame on Spain. But for heaven's sake! Take responsibility for your kooky cousins! (by the way WELL PLAYED bagpipes can send shivers up my spine, they are so hauntingly beautiful) Send me Riverdance! I'll raise you the College of Piping!

Be gratefull all Mexico has exported to Scotland is tv....be very gratefull. Canadian music really is a world of extremes. It's either really really good, ie; The Hip, Tea Party and Trimuph.... or the equivilent of a crow outside your bedroom window at 5 in the morning, ie; Brian Adams, Celine dion and Ann Murry. Not going to apologize for American food (what little there is of it). I will profusely apologize for Rap though, and since my generation invented it and breakdancing I feel compelled to apologize for that scourge too. Now, while I recognize Scotland is not England, I will default still to the annoying Yankee belief that the U.K. is one country and hold you personaly responsable for Brittish T.V. financial analyists....cuz I can.

McDonald's is your kind of place It's such a happy place Because it's Ronald's place Do you think I could get a bagpipe accompaniment to this lovely jingle?

I think you are demented and just looking for silliness to start discussions. The US has always let people be free to experiment with whatever they want to. That is also why alot of immigrants move to the US. Because they could be free to be free no matter what it was. And people need to live by the rule that anything goes as long as it doesn't hurt someone else.

Oh yes, we have given the world (or rather the mid-north of the US) lutefisk. We're pretty proud of that. Who else would think of taking dried fish and putting it in lye and then cook it and it? Possibly with brown goat cheese and potato flat bread. A real delicacy. Most people get drunk while eating it, I wonder why? Not sure what else we've exported. Skis of course, both the actual thing and the word. The cheese slicer. The office clip. The lamp that Pixar tried to claim as theres. Aha. And some Christmas tree in London, maybe the one at Trafalgar square. There's also smalahoved (smoked sheeps head). It's quite tasty, but it looks at you. Not sure if we've exported it anywhere else but Iceland though, and there you really wouldn't notice it. Rotten hai, sheep brain pudding etc, not to mention the pickled private parts of a goat. Haggis isn't really that bad you know :-)

JB, I would rather have bag pipes than Haggis. I guess each country uses whatever they have for food and sustenance, but sheeps intestines? come on, I am not sure about much of the other things you are mentioning. I avoid fast food, but I love my own cooking here at home. We, of course, probably got some of the best stuff from somewhere else.

I'll have you know, bunny, that the U.S. leads the world in our culinary expertise. Not just anyone can come up with the Big Mac...or pork rinds...Cheetos...hot wings that'll burn your lips off...deep fried chicken gizzards...coffee coolattas on every corner...I could go on and on but I'm sure you stand corrected now.

Oh, I beg to differ the Spanish channel is great as all as you make up your own words. My Spanish isn't good enough to follow at full rate so I make up what they are saying normally others are in the room and enough the good laugh. You'll have to explain the food since "the states" really have a lot of different foods, and I'm sorry but, come on, hagus? Just what the hell is that anyway?

Don't blame the average American. Blame the governments of many countries and the big businesses of this world. Your own government and the big business in your country probably have a hand in this too. Art

The only way any country can 'inflict' the things of which you speak on people is if the people welcome the infliction with open arms. If the people do not want to be inflicted with music, food, and television from other countries, all they have to do is refuse to buy or use the unwanted 'gifts.' Now, a true infliction is when people move from one country to another and refuse to learn the language. They then insist that everyone else change to accommodate them instead of them melting into the culture to which they chose to move. That is indeed a insensitive and uncaring infliction on others. Not to mention how rude they are to converse in a foreign language in their new setting while waiting on customers, etc.

Plate smashing. It's not actually allowed over here but it seems popular elsewhere. And oregano, most disgusting herb ever grown.

You forgot to mention "fast food." I hear it's loaded with all kinds of unhealthy bug-a-boos!

North America has a f*ck of a lot to answer for. But not quite as much as 'Great' Britain, which in my opinion has had the most negative effect of any country (nation, state, whatever), anywhere, at any point in history. I am ashamed to be English, quite frankly, so I don't think I have the right to bemoan the flaws of other countries!

I have absolutely no adequate answer for our collective crimes. What else if there for me to do but lay my life down for my country. Blue Rabbit. Cut off my head or spare me...and may restition be done. My life is yours to do with as you will...