Reply #56: When I was in England this summer, I noticed that there was a real gap,

[Lydia Leftcoast]

perhaps based on the class system, between the tabloid press and the more serious press. The tabloid press was as bad as ours, perhaps worse, but the serious press, even the Murdoch-owned Times, was erudite (a word you don't see very often in reference to things American), thoughtful, and only slightly colored by ideology. The letters to the editor were also extremely thoughtful and well-written.

I also enjoyed BBC radio, especially BBC3 (classical music) and BBC4 (news and information).

On the whole, though, it was just PLEASANT to be out of the country, even though the UK definitely has its share of problems.

(I'm looking forward to an all-too-brief business-related trip to Japan later this year )