Posted on 09/23/2007 5:58:50 AM PDT by WesternCulture
“By the way, thanks for your posts and views. As you know FR is, ahem, a little American centric and it gets a little boring. You are a good defender of Europe from some of us more jingoistic Americans. Post with assurance that your views are looked forward to.”
- Sincere thanks.
I hope it shows that I am very pro-American too. Many intelligent and well educated Europeans admire the US and are aware that Europe and the US both have a lot to gain from collaboration.
Furthermore, I don’t think The US should or even could become like Scandinavia, just like I don’t think Scandinavia should become like USA.
We Scandinavians should stick to our egalitarian, Lutheran culture and make the most of it and I think Americans are right in defending their tradition of individualism and small government.
As long as there is freedom, work ethics and patriotism both our parts of the world will prosper.
While Florence is fine(cept all the pickpockets), I think Santorini is more beautiful. Since I've never lived in Europe, but have been all over it, I really can't say much about livability. On looks though, I think Rome in 2001 after they cleaned it up(first 6 months after 2000 new year) was stunning. It's gone downhill since, but it was just amazing when I was there in June 2001.
What the hell has happened to the Readers Digest?
syndrome? but seriously I would only buy cars made by germans, belgians and swedes. the top guy to the pinmaker are going to be pretty well educated and one would hope motivated/organized.
Sweden was one of the European nations that colonized America. The colony named Nya Sverige/New Sweden was later lost to the Dutch.
However, today we aren’t angry with them because of that. The Dutch have done a lot of good things for Sweden. One of them is helping us found Gothenburg, the city where I live. The success of that enterprise meant that Denmark was through as a great Northern European power. Swedish ships didn’t have to pass the strait between what today is the Southernmost part of Sweden (Skåne/Scania) in order to reach the seas and Denmark lost a lot of toll incomes and later on they lost several decisive wars against Sweden.
I wonder if the Danes ever will forgive us for stealing large part of their territory? Anyhow, I love Denmark. It’s also a very nice part of Europe.
About New Sweden;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sweden
“syndrome? but seriously I would only buy cars made by germans, belgians and swedes. the top guy to the pinmaker are going to be pretty well educated and one would hope motivated/organized.”
- For some reason, many Americans are very unpatriotic about their cars.
Are they really that bad?
Milton Friedman appreciated your point. A Swede once boasted to him that "We have no poverty in Sweden." Friedman said "That’s very interesting. In America we have no poverty among Swedes either."
As a part-Finn, I might point out that a major portion of the colony of New Sweeden were Finns, then a part of the Kingdom of Sweeden.
YES, a very long time ago, when I was living in southeastern PA, I did some serious historical research in the local historical society libraries (Delware County, Chester County, etc.) about the 17th century settlement of the area. It was fascinating to read some of the earliest accounts and see maps etc. of when Swedish forts and settlements were established along the Delaware River. Some of the very earliest European settlers in bits of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey came from Sweden. Then they were overwhelmed by the Dutch, and soon after the English, but in a number of towns and cities the Swedes were there first! (speaking of Europeans, of course)
It was even called “New Sweden” for a few years, but then the Dutch sent a military expedition and put a stop to that, and then the English, and so on......
funny, I was writing my similar post and hadn’t seen that you’d posted this...... got distracted by answering an email
This is evidence, that, unless the government is willing, a la Stalin, Hitler, or Mao, to ruthlessly crush liberty, it survives and thrives, as free people use what they have - their brains, to develop technologies and techniques to maintain and expand freedom, and its corollary - prosperity.
Are they really that bad?
I don't know about American cars in general but I've had two Ford trucks now and they were fine.
Perhaps, but could they beat the Ducks? 8^)
- So, there are no people of Swedish ancestry that live in trailer parks and such places in the US?
In that case, I think it’s due to our Lutheran work ethics.
We’re not like the Japanese, but neither are we like the French and the end result of Swedish labor is much more impressive that that of these countries. IMO Volvo is a much nicer car than anything that comes out of Japan and I’d like to see the Japanese build a fighter plane like the JAS Gripen :-)
But I would love to visit Japan and France is a great place (been there twice) as long as you try to be polite and speak a little french.
Back when Scandinavians were humble enough to believe in God tens of thousands became Mormon and moved on the Mormon Trail to Utah and Idaho. There’s one county in Utah that has the highest ratio of Danes outside of Danish territories.
“I don’t know about American cars in general but I’ve had two Ford trucks now and they were fine.”
- American Ford makes some attractive cars, especially the new Mustang. Another great American car is the Cadillac Escalade. The list goes on.
If you are American and interested in Cars, you have plenty of reasons to be proud.
SAAB and Volvo are great, but my favourite Swedish car is this:
Drool!
looks like an ikea showroom.
re: Koenigsegg
Looks fabulous, but if it doesn’t get at least 40 mpg then Al Gore won’t buy it for that reckless son of his.....
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