Well, it's not my fault Mr. Munroe couldn't spell his own name correctly! He claimed that South America was the US's "backyard". How's that for imperialism and a denial of democracy? And please, dont write from the USA and talk about others promoting imperialism. Many of your countrymen, like Noam Chomsky, value freedom and regret the damage done to democracy by your governments since Vietnam.

The UK opposed an Argentinian military dictatorship invading a democracy. That's what we stand for - come aboard! We did it so that RTW bikers could pass freely in South America on our visits to the land of Chavez, Bolivar, Zapata, Castro, Allende and of course the shining Guevara.

Don´t worry I knew you were parroting Chomsky from the get go. It was pretty obvious you have never read the original text.

Own Chomsky´s books and have met him a couple times. He is a regular in the Boulder area.

Given LP is now a branch of the BBC, I´m very curious to read their description of the Falklands conflict.

Will they focus on the Falkland´s massive oil reserves or the fact the islanders were only made citizens after the war was over?

I´m pretty sure LP won´t mention the fact the BBC sabotaged the war effort by providing sensitive information to the Argentinians.

I note the lack of objectivity in the word "parroting".... and the fantasy that I haven't read the original....

What is this US obsession with the "personality"? - ie you've "met him a couple of times", and "own" his books". You are like those medieval Europeans who thought that nearness to even the body of a saint conferred energy and wisdom. That was 1000 years ago, Jock.

I think you must be one of those crazed , hairy, wild eyed survivalists, dressed in camouflage and military cap, rifle in hand, and evidenced in your suspicion of the BBC and seeing conspiracy plots with LP and the BBC.

Jock! get normal!

Jeez guys, what the hell has this to do with LP Guidebooks? Take it to the bar!

Matt :(

Well Matt, if you had read the posts, you would see that they refer to LP. You yourself have the habit of being off thread, but no-one cries "Jeez" as if it was agony....now come on Matt, willya?

Pff..pretty slim connection. Anyway, am going to leave you to it.

(Flounces off in huff.)

Matt :)

I blame Edinburgh for your tetchiness- it makes folk grumpy; all that cold wind and horrible pies and chips. Get yourself up to the Western Highlands at the w/end. Open up your bike on the big long straight over Rannoch Moor. Go catch trout in the hill lochs....

Don´t get me wrong, I find him an insufferable Neo-Gramscian shill.

But even worse is listening to every self-satisfied half-wit quoting him or Michael Moore and thinking they are engaged in radically independent thought...speaking truth to power and so on.

You say that like it is a bad thing.

The BBC has always been an instrument of propaganda. In fact the BBC´s own internal investigations point to bias. Where do you think George Orwell got his idea for the Ministry of Truth if not his experiences at the BBC?

Getting back to the original thread... i appear to be in the minority in that i like the LP giving me ideas as to what's what in a country i've not been to - like Greece at the moment. No real conception as to what to see other than the islands. I'd never heard of Meteora, for example, yet found it a fascinating place. It's true that when an organ gets too large/popular/successful then it's original aims get somewhat muddied over time (Microsoft/Starbucks/USAdministrations[?-contraversial, ho,ho]), but i've backpacked around the planet on the back of LP and found it an invaluable assistant - the maps, in particular, are really useful. And don't forget Tony Wheeler must be one of the original bike travellers, we forget so easily. A thumbs-up from me, i'm afraid (cue vitriolic replies...):thumbup1: