CV and mad panic behaviour

[PaulP]

Cookie2, thanks for the links.

FYI, while I'm not commenting on those articles as I haven't yet read them yet, I've worked in places including Arizona and Carolina, commuting to places Wisconsin, Washington and Illinois. At one stage I use to commute between Australia and Arizona on a 4 day cycle, so I've had lots of air miles. My next door neighbour spent almost 15 years living and working in the USA. Between us we've seen a good chunk of life in Joe Average USA and reality is far far away from the bulk of articles published by think tanks or the media. Independence and Freedom of Speech is a myth in the USA, it's the great lie.

I'm not really a fan of the "my personal experiences" approach to research and fact finding, unless they form part of a larger, more comprehensive study - the temptation for myopia and confirmation bias is too strong IMO. Studies that take a broader view, including statistics and personal experiences, but know to interpret this information sensibly, are the most valuable IMO.

And whilst I'm not cookie2, I'm flattered that you think I am.