America is a land of contradictions. They are ultimately a very conservative people, and at the same time very innovative. They are undoubtedly the world leader in a number of areas, but at the same time very insular.

A rather trivial but nonetheless telling example is their school buses. Although the underlying chassis may have kept up to date, the coachwork has not changed in at least 50 years. It is a safe, comfortable, familiar image that seems sacrosanct, and nobody is willing to play with it. Certainly the buses are identical to those I saw the last time I was here, almost 20 years ago, and from all accounts identical to those I remember seeing in US television shows from my childhood.

Another example is trying to get money from an ATM. I have a card that is linked to the largest network of cash machines in the world, and I have no trouble in Europe in getting cash out of ATMs. In fact in Sweden I don't think I could find any machine that would reject my card. Here there are at least a dozen banks in the area around the office, and I have found only 1 that will accept my card. And surprisingly it wasn't one of the bigger banks, but a local savings bank. I must admit I haven't trued every bank, but after 5 attempts and getting only 1 successful transaction, the odds are still pretty low.

I can get free wireless internet at most coffee shops and fast-food restaurants, yet most people have little knowledge of the world they are wired to.

For a country whose foreign policy seems to be predicated upon "what is good for America is good for the world", they are dangerously ignorant of the world around them. There is almost no news coverage of anything that is remotely "foreign", unless it involves US troops. And I really am starting to get a little bit tired of cities in the US calling themselves "The <fill in the blank> Capital of the World". But then again, this is the countrly that runs a "World Series" and forgets to invite anyone outside of North America.

Oh, and for the record, no, Maine did not "invent" the toothpick. And no, it isn't the "Toothpick Capital of the World". There are far more toothpicks made in Malaysia and in China than there are in Maine, and the toothpick was known from Shakespearean times. At best it is the "Toothpick Capital of America", but I guess if you consider the world to stop at the borders, then it doesn't make much difference.

And who voted Seattle "The Coffee Capital of the World"? I certainly don't remember the ballot. Remember, there are 6 billion people on this planet, and less than 4% live in America. How about you at least find out a little about the planet you share with them?