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BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: CarolC Date: 08 Jan 03 - 11:20 AM wilco48, I think that what the BBC was trying to accomplish with that article was to drum up support for the US. My guess is that they are probably trying to convince people in the UK to get behind the idea of a US attack against Iraq. |
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Subject: Who loathes the BBC: a quiz from the US From: wilco Date: 08 Jan 03 - 11:17 AM A recent CNN poll cited that the BBC is consistently mistrusted as a news source in developing countries. Your opinion?
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: wilco Date: 08 Jan 03 - 11:15 AM People occasionally get off their meeds; we need to be more understanding of these "guests." Next time the UK needs to be bailed out of trouble (WWI, WWII), I would bet that the US will also bail-out the BBC folks (and guests)too. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: CarolC Date: 08 Jan 03 - 11:15 AM I'd say this quote from Bagpuss' link is pretty revealing: The Washington Post reports that 80% of the U.S. foreign aid budget actually goes directly to American firms. If what this former Chief Economist of the World Bank says is true, perhaps this is a big part of why the US is loathed in so many parts of the world. World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Auxiris Date: 08 Jan 03 - 11:15 AM Geez, only 7 right. . . maybe I'd better follow the news more closely. cheers, Aux |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Kim C Date: 08 Jan 03 - 11:00 AM Well, it's like this. Some people hate us till they need us. Till they need our money that they so despise. Till they want us to come and build factories and make jobs for their people. Till they want us to help save them from the latest evil overlord. Till they want their kids to come to our universities. Till they want a pair of Levis or a Britney Spears record. So the British don't like our obesity? What's that all about? Are there no obese people in Britain? When I was there, there wasn't any shortage of junk food. Who's eating it? Saying you don't like somebody because they're fat makes about as much sense as saying you don't like somebody because of their race or religion. How many people did they poll, anyway? All of them? I doubt it. I don't really believe any of that and I'll tell you why. Because people are people wherever you go, and I think most people are good and helpful. Did anyone watch the TV series "Lost"? Did you notice how helpful people were to the participants, all around the world? Even when they didn't speak English? I think most of the worldwide conflicts are between governments, not PEOPLE. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Bobert Date: 08 Jan 03 - 08:12 AM Well, danged! I don't believe much in polls. I believe that given the wording og the question that a pollster could get a high approval rate for________________ (pick your own mean dictator). I mean, like George Bush having a high approval rating? Come on? Give my poor ol' boney Wes Ginny butt a break. If he has such a high rating, h0ow come just about everyone I know thinks he is an idiot? Hey, "ya' don't have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows" here (Dylan) and if ya' got a country going around witha big stick wacking folks or threatening to wack folks, it ain't rocket science that that country ain't going to win the :Most Lovable Award" Beam me up... Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Strupag Date: 08 Jan 03 - 07:58 AM Funny enough, here in God's own land of Caledonia we often have discussions about why the English are not popular in mainland Europe. I've travelled throughout and worked in Europe and it DOES make a difference when the local folk learn that you are a Scot. I think most of my American friends hate the same things about their country as I do ie Bush, IMF, World Bank, Disney Chanell etc. I also hope that they despise the same things about UK as I do. ie Thatcherism, Blairism(only the spelling is different), tabloids, Royals etc. Maybe, we should promote what we like about each other. Second thoughts, maybe not: The Yanks get far too slushy sentimental when they do that! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST Date: 08 Jan 03 - 07:13 AM I'm sorry if I titled the thread wrongly. I was just using the wording from the BBC Site |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Rapparee Date: 08 Jan 03 - 06:57 AM What I abhor about my country is the slide into greed, the idea that profit is all, that even the government should be "profitable" no matter who is hurt. There were twenty more newbies welcomed into my support group for the unemployed on January 6. I don't know the total number of members, but there are between 50 and 70 people there every Monday morning and a LOT of name badges are not picked up. These folks are mostly from the computer service departments, from human resources, from those parts of a business that aren't "profit centers" but which take money to run. These are the middle class, the college-educated, the MBAs. And if something isn't done, they WILL change their politics. I hate no one, no country, no person. I can intensly dislike you, if you try to harm me or mine, and if I had to do so I would kill you -- with sorrow, but without hate. I have other things to do and can't afford the energy it takes to hate. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Bagpuss Date: 08 Jan 03 - 06:17 AM And not forgetting that a third of the foreign aid the US gives is to Israel - a country that already has one of the world's higher per capita incomes.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: alanabit Date: 08 Jan 03 - 06:13 AM I got six. I agree with McGrath. It is a test of whether you are correct in your assumptions about anti-Americanism. The thread started with a question rather than a statement. That means that our (regrettably anonymous) guest has made no assumptions either way. Most of what I feel about America was said by myself or others on the "What did America ever do for us?" thread. (For God's sake, don't be tempted to revive it anyone). I like Americans, have always loved working with them and I love a lot of what has come out of their country. I loathe a lot of what is done in their name and by a lot of their politicians and companies. A lot of Americans think the same. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Bagpuss Date: 08 Jan 03 - 06:12 AM FYI - here is a link to some info in international foreign aid comparisons. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Harry Basnett Date: 08 Jan 03 - 05:49 AM Interesting quiz...crap heading for the thread. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Little Hawk Date: 08 Jan 03 - 01:33 AM Aww...you'd like Bill if you knew him, Joe! :-) - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Joe Offer Date: 08 Jan 03 - 01:29 AM I'm with Little Hawk...for once. [grin] I despise George Bush, don't think much of most American politicians, and have little respect for our Captains of Industry. Most other Americans are wonderful people, and we live in a beautiful land. And I don't like William Shatner, but he's Canadian. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Little Hawk Date: 08 Jan 03 - 12:46 AM It's not the USA I loathe...it's a beautiful country. I like most Americans too. It's the Democratic and Republican parties I loathe, the banks and major corporations who stand behind them, the IMF, the World Bank, and the military-industrial complex whom they all pander to and serve, while robbing their own people, pushing drugs, and terrorizing and pillaging most of the world in the name of "freedom". Ha! Freedom for the robber barons, but not for the serfs (meaning just about everyone, including you and me, but specially 3rd World people). - LH |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 07 Jan 03 - 11:50 PM Nine out of Ten - It pays to read the Financial Times and the Hearld.
Sincerely, |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Haruo Date: 07 Jan 03 - 11:47 PM I understand what you're talking about, kat, but this is not one of those threads. The so-called poll is not anti-American. The GUEST who posted it didn't particularly rant against America. As I said, Bill lashed out at a benign post. There's enough variety of GUESTs hereabouts that (annoying though they are) to jump to conclusions like this is, I think, a tendency to be avoided. Though I owe BillD an apology for singling him out (there are several other salvos from folks with names aimed at person or persons without that I might equally well have directed my weird look at). Overall, speaking as an American, I think the "poll" would be worth any American's time to read. Haruo |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: katlaughing Date: 07 Jan 03 - 10:28 PM Like some of the rest of us, I would imagine BillD has had it up to here with nameless Guests, the ones who esp. troll the waters with a seemingly pathological need to denigrate the USA and so what if he decided to give them whatfor? We've had plenty of "trash the Americans" threads in the past and they do wear thin. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: TIA Date: 07 Jan 03 - 10:17 PM I got 8 right! Does that qualify me as a beautiful (ant. ugly) American? Nahh, I'm just a damn good second-guesser. Now for real laughs, I'd like to see a USA Today (or better yet - Jay Leno) poll on anti-Europeanism in America. Can y'all feel the love? Some of my best friends (and relatives) are furners. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST Date: 07 Jan 03 - 10:14 PM GO AWAY YOU STUPID ANTI-AMERICAN TROLL! THIS IS A MUSIC FORUM!!!! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: mack/misophist Date: 07 Jan 03 - 10:05 PM True, America DOES do a lot of good things. I wish I had copied an article I saw in one of the main stream news magazines a few years back. We don't give as much foreign aid -per capita- as we think. Per capita, we do rather badly. And that was under the Democrats. I hate to think... When America shines is when the psople respond to a disaster. Only then, I think. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Haruo Date: 07 Jan 03 - 10:03 PM I liked the quiz. Only got three right (though there were others I'd have got right if I hadn't tried to "outsmart the Brits" — for example, I was pretty sure Le Monde had that headline but thought they probably gave it in French, Nous sommes tous d'américains maintenant or something, so I chose The Sun): Uzbekistan, Chelsea and the Ambassador to Japan. Thanks to the GUEST for posting the link. Weird look at BillD for reacting so violently to such a benign post. Haruo "futsūna amerikazin" — NOT ;-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST,jaze Date: 07 Jan 03 - 09:54 PM Guest, don't we have ANY redeeming qualities?I don't always agree with everything our gov't does,but there are countries that we help with food and money, and medical aid. I think Americans have and always have had a generous spirit. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: katlaughing Date: 07 Jan 03 - 09:44 PM This is nothing new. We've always had the "ugly American" syndrome. Tweed, you said I'm talking about the real Americans who work their asses off and have no control over the things our elected officials get us into. I think you'll agree with me that if those same Americans got out and voted they would have MORE control over the things elected officials get us into. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:58 PM Amos tells us that 'Anti-Americanism is mental disease. I don't think anymore need be said. Americans, arrogant? Don't be so silly... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:51 PM The idea of invading Iraq is a collectivity without merit in substance -- used, instead, as a way of generalizing fear and infecting it into others with useless and semantically senseless generalizations. Would that be right, Amos? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Tweed Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:37 PM Bush doctrine is not America and neither is the US government. If you've never lived here then it's hard to describe in words. America is the people and the land that they live on, not a political thing. We are not to be despised or "loathed" simply for being Americans. Give us a chance and loathe us one on one if you can but not en masse. I'm talking about the real Americans who work their asses off and have no control over the things our elected officials get us into. To start a thread with the obviously catchy smartass title "Who LOATHES the USA" is pretty darned loathsome to my thinking. The quiz is fine, the thread title sucked, ...and I overeacted to a flamer,...and I apologise for it, but not for being a person born on America. To recap: 1. Screw you GUEST 2. My apologies to the board for fanning a flame. I should know better. Yerz, Tweed, |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Amos Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:21 PM I got 7 right. McGrath is correct, but actually I think Mister Rushdie is not. Anti-Americanism is as ill-conceived a mental disease as fearing black cats or distrusting people with moustaches, or blaming one's own condition on "them". It is a collectivity without merit in substance -- used, instead, as a way of generalizing fear and infecting it into others with useless and semantically senseless generalizations. This is something that any human, regardless of his nationality, will do if he is too oppressed, too indroctrinated or too stupid to think for himself clearly. But it certainly doesn't give it any further merit that it is a popular dysfunction. A |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:21 PM It makes it seem as if Americans are universally despised Jaze, for better or worse, they pretty much are |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST,jaze Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:13 PM How sad. I thought America did more good around the world than seems to be beleived. I don't hate British people because I can't stand their tabloids. It makes it seem as if Americans are universally despised. It should be remembered that not all Americans support those things that piss the world off. Now I can understand lately why people may have that idea. There seems to be an attitude abroad lately that America can do whatever it wants because it is the lone Superpower. That attitude scares me. America by and large has a history of doing noble things to help other, weaker, less fortunate countries. I would hate to see us do something not noble such as an unprovoked attack on another country-without solid PROOF of something, because we despise that country's leader. What would happen if we left S Korea? They seem to want us to. Maybe we need to pull back and mind our own business more. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:07 PM But it didn't set out to deal with "the truth about the USA" at all. It was all about how accurate our perceptions are about how various people in various countries felt about America. And it turned out I was pretty ignorant about that, indicating certain preconceptions, for example about the French and Italians and so forth - but saying nothing whatsoever about how I might feel about Americans. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: vectis Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:53 PM Happy New Year Kevin!!!! I beat you - four right :-) Shows our ignorance of the truth about USA - maybe? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST,Another Guest Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:28 PM I still like YOU Guest!!!! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:28 PM What on earth is the problem? The poll wasn't promoting "anti-Americanism", whatever that means, it was giving people a chance to test out whether their guesses about where it was more and less prevalent. I only got two right - the quote from Chelsea Clinton, which I remembered reading somewhere, and I guessed Uzbekistan was probably a fairly pro-American place, compared to the other Muslim countries listed. But I get the feeling that the knee-jerk assumption from some people that this was an exercise in encouraging people to hate America is a bit uncalled for. Anything more than the least superficial glance at it would have shown that it wasn't. Myself I think I probably hate the same things about America as the Americans whom I most admire. I don't think that is anti-American in any way. I could probably say the same about most countries, including the one I live in. The difference with America is that we in other countries are exposed to it through the mass media far more than to any other country (even including our own, for many people). And the mass media tends to pick out the least interesting and least admirable things about any country. That perhaps does give a rather unfortunate impression. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Bill D Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:27 PM I speak only with those with names....I am old and slow and curmudgeonly, and I can't tell one 'guest' from another......get used to it.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: kendall Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:26 PM A question: What do you think would happen world wide if the USA pulled out of all countries, and, came home to mind its own business, like Canada does? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:22 PM Good point, well made Carol. I'll cross you off the list and only hate 99.96% of Americans now. (smiley, grin, a joke etc) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: CarolC Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:17 PM I think it's a good article. I got less than half right, though. Some of the questions were a little misleading. Still, I think it's a very healthy thing for us to see a bit of how this country is perceived by the rest of the world. Goodness knows, excess humility certainly isn't one of our shortcomings. Also, I sort of got the impression that that article was really more about trying to promote pro-US sentiments in Britain than anything else. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:15 PM Well said, misophist. Thank you for that post |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: mack/misophist Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:12 PM Back off and take another look, guys. We came off looking better than I expected. No one is universally loved; no one deserves to be. I like Chirac's attitude. The man has class. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:12 PM when you are big & rich, you will be criticized NO MATTER WHAT you do Agreed, but refusing to sign global treaties on both environmental and criminal law issues, insisting that the 'American way' is best for all etc. etc. gives people more ammunition. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Bill D Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:05 PM you need to explain why you posted that 'poll'..... America is a big target is the main situation...when you are big & rich, you will be criticized NO MATTER WHAT you do. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:05 PM Well, I'm none of the above guests, but an American one who was very interested in this poll. Thank you to the guest who provided the link to it. As an American, I am proud to say I did all right on the poll--5 right. And some of those I was wrong about, like Russian's attitudes towards Americans. I was as close to the right answer as possible, but boy was I wrong! At any rate, I think Salman Rushdie, an author I greatly admire, has it only partly right. Americans will find it much more difficult to defeat anti-American attitudes than Islamic fundamentalism, but only in certain parts of the globe, like Britain! I think the British are pathological in their hatred of Americans, and pretty damn irrational about it too. I mean, what the hell did we ever do to the Brits to justify it? Now, the Phillipines, or Vietnam, or all of Latin America...there is no shortage of places where I would expect anti-American sentiments to be very strong because of the imperial reach of our military and "economic" (yeah, right) advisers/troops, which ever the case may be. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: a real PERSON Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:02 PM hello Bill? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: a real PERSON Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:59 PM I've 'signed on' now |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST,Real Person Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:57 PM Tell me about America's place in the world, Bill |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: Bill D Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:52 PM and why did we NEED a link? This is not for education...this is YOUR attempt to make some sort of point. The BBC can start stupid 'polls, just as CNN can or NBC can, or FOX news can...but shouting "look at this" anonymously is ***TROLLING***..... if you want to sign on as a real PERSON, I will discuss America's place in the world with you... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC From: GUEST,Another Guest Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:51 PM I like you Guest!!!!!!!! |