>>>>>>>The U.S. has been very generous and helpful throughout the recent history, especially when it comes to Europe. Think first world war, second world war, Marshall aid, rebuilding of Japan and Germany, etc. etc. Not so in Central and Latin America, though. Think Guatemala, El Salvador, Chile, etc. etc. So, I don't think at least the Europeans really have much reason to complain when it comes to that. In my experience, having been born and raised in Europe, it is somehow fashionable or "intellectually cool" to criticize the U.S. over there. And the reverse is often true on this side of the Pond.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Agree
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>But to me at least it is also silly how there remains this "we will go to play in our own sandbox" attitude in the U.S., which totally disregards the fact that we live in a very tightly networked and interdependent world. A lot of U.S. companies absolutely depend on European sales (and vice versa), and if U.S. would pull everything out of everywhere in the world it would likely destroy the U.S. economy along with all other economies in the world. And the same would probably happen if EU would pull out of all other sandboxes except its own.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Agree
>>>>>
>>>>>Dank je wel! Two "PDV Agrees" in a row! This maybe a UT record <g>
>>>>>
>>>>>Pertti
>>>>
>>>>Alsjeblieft! But perhaps you have misread what I wrote and what you replied to? <g>
>>>
>>>Uit luide lach. Be that as it may, history is history -- I still got two "PDV Agrees" in a row. <bg>
>>
>>Ah, you used google to translate LOL?! Not bad. However, 'luide lach' should be enough. Everybody would understand, although no one would say it. Now I think of it, do Americans really say "I was laughing out loud"?
>
>Babelfish, actually. Thanks for the correction -- I have to keep it in mind the next time I have a stopover in Amsterdam. The abbreviation lol is literally "laugh out loud", which is an "imperative sentence" since it doesn't have a subject. It works, though, if you are ordering someone to laugh out loud right now, although that's not the context of this abbreviation. What-ever.

Whatever? :)
Now I'm even more puzzled. Do you english speakers realize the confusion for all others? Whenever I read LOL, I assume it means "Laughing out loud", which actually means "I am laughing out loud". Your explanation would imply that someone is ordering ME to laugh out loud??