"Charles Angelich" wrote to "Mike Ross" (25 Jul 03  00:00:02)
 --- on the topic of "Color TV"

 CA> AIRBUS was a collaboration. France didn't do this alone.

I'm very glad you have a keen eye for detail but who really cares...
But, uh, they *are* being sold!


 MR> a rocket program that regularly launches satellites for
 MR> many countries,

 CA> This is somewhat true. They have a limited capability AFAIK.

You always say something amazing... (but it's not sensational!)
You can't be somewhat pregnant... either you are or you aren't.
The French have the infrastructures to place satellites in orbit.
What else can you add to that?


 MR> nuclear reactors for sale to whoever wants one,

 CA> Yes,

At last something positive...
(I understand what a strain this admission must be for you. )

 CA> , in fact they had just signed a deal to sell them to Saddam
 CA> not long ago which probably explains their reluctance to boot
 CA> him out of Iraq. ;-)

But why the rest of the qualifiers though? Either they sell nukes or
they don't, who cares!


 MR> and countless other leading edge technologies.

 CA> Such as?

You totally exasperate me! Have you ever taken your head out of the sand
and looked around a little? The French are leading edge in electric
motors, generators, motor controls, tunnel digging machines, and jet
fighters (Eurofighter - yes, yes, a collaboration sheesh!).


 CA> Last time I watched a documentary about wine they said that the
 CA> differences between California wines and France were mainly
 CA> imaginery. I'm not sure that selling booze makes a country
 CA> great.

Are you sure you didn't watch an imaginary documentary? The US wine
industry sometimes promotes its wines by making bogus documentaries in
the same style as the Pepsi vs Coke ads. If it was a documentary made in
Canada or the UK perhaps it could be a little less biased. However take
note there must be something in this since the comparison is invariably
made to French wines. Personally, I prefer Italian wines. 


 MR> They may have eminently stupid intellectual institutions
 MR> and politicians but you are dead wrong to underestimate the
 MR> competition!

 CA> You are entitled to your opinion, of course, but I really don't
 CA> think anyone is underestimating the French.

 CA> http://www.undercoverdesign.com/dosghost/faf/thefrench/htm

I don't surf, so please, spare the links, they're only meaningless
gibberish to me... In my opinion if you need others' opinions to support
a point then the least you could do is to paraphrase them in your own
words. Otherwise you come off for example like a pedant professor
referencing page #296 of "Archetypal Structures of Neo-Elizabethan
Grotto Decorating" to discuss the 1001 ways of decorating a wedding
cake, among others. Besides it's only a step away from plagiarism.
(Have you no shame, man?! )

 Mike
 ****

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