It's not that great, buddy... :S Think about it: during electoral campaign Prodi said that we would have more ambiental independence from America (instead, America presented a plan to extend a base in Vicenza, and Prodi said "yes" in the blink of an eye), he said that he would retire troops from Iraq (but our mission in Iraq has been refinanced), he said that he would finally obliterate those ad personam laws done by the godfather Berlusconi which ashamed our country in front of the rest of the world (but those laws are still there...).
He said too much, he hasn't done that much.
My only hope right now is Antonio Di Pietro, or another "Mani Pulite".

Well, i really don't know much about prodi, but i still think i would prefer the devil over berlosconi.

Yeah, probably you're right. The problem is: I didn't vote someone who is a little less dangerous than Berlusconi (which seems to be something very common to do around here).
Better move. In Switzerland, for example.

I've lived in Japan for one year, traveled all around the country, and have not seen a single "no foreigner" sign. I don't know, maybe there's one store like that in like, ten thousand. I just think that you might be over-exaggerating a bit there.

I don't think Japanese people are racist. They just think foreigners are "different" from them. It doesn't mean they think they're superior, they just think they're different. What do you expect from a country who had closed borders for so many years in history?
By the way, when I was in Japan, I studied in an international program with 200 other foreigners, all from different parts of the world, and not one of them has experienced discrimination.

Wow, and here I was thinking this would be a "No, I hate my country" blowout. Good to know that the hating-your-country fad is dying out.

I've only been to a select few countries in North America, like Mexico and Canada, although when I was in Mexico I saw the living conditions weren't nearly as nice as they are in the States. I haven't been to any other continent, though I plan on at least vacationing to Europe in a few years, so I can't judge any other countries.

However, I love living in the US. I have so many friends of so many different ethnicities, and the sheer amount of different cultures that preserve their own identity while still blending in to everyday life is just astounding. I live near a Filipino Cultural Center that holds a festival once a year and I love attending to hear the sounds, see the sights, eat the food, and the like.

That sounds really cool. I like different cultures. They can be really fun.
Right now I'm stuck in Idaho, which is called Whiteaho for a reason. =P

America is the worst

I love my country (Portugal) but i gotta admit i have no real reason to.... love it...
the technology's outdated and there's an unemployment jproblem along with many others. Well we are the worst off in the EU (not counting these latest entrants).
Still, i love it, go figure...

P.S.: guess i can't criticize americans

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There's no love in your violence.

-Kakihara

That depends a LOT on where you live...


Lol, as am I, as am I. The town I live in is a *little* more diverse than Idaho is overall, but not by a whole lot; on the plus side I do see a lot of respect for other cultures even though there aren't that many non-whites.

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"[English] not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."
-James Nicoll, can.general, March 21, 1992

No no no...you're always allowed to criticize americans..they like it...look at their tv shows ...lol. Plus they deserve it ... when they stop their crappy wars and trade protection and at least try to do something good for the environ... only then can we take it easy on the bastards. ( i don't mean every american i mean the system )

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~~~the world it is a dyin'~~ so let's just enjoy the view~~~

True that. Where I live (Madison Wisconsin) is one of those diverse places (my highschool was like, 50% white 50% everyone else), while a city an hour and a half drive away, Milwaukee Wisconsin, as I recall, was recently rated as one of the most segregated cities in the USA.

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I have to say that I've enjoyed my life in the US, and that it's got plenty of good opportunities. I don't always agree with its policies, but that's the beauty of the country. You can disagree, speak out, and supposedly not get arrested. And that value alone I love more than anything else.

But personally, I'm not very into the culture. It seems outrageous at times, the stuff that's up on the media. It's giving "ordinary" Americans who are nothing like that a bad name as well.

I completely agree with Leeper Messia!! I don't have the age to vote yet, but my political ideas are quite clear (or i think so =P )!
I have to say it, i'm so disappointed of italian politicians and also of how my country is seen by the rest of the world! >.<
We italians seem only concerned about pasta pizza etc and we're seen as some kind of less-intelligent-people because of our president (the old and the new, they're quite the same -.- ) and the political class. They do lots of regretable choices!
So no, i don't really like my country, mostly when i think that one of the few moments where italian people felt patriotic was when we won the soccer's world challenge, and stop!

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From Atlantis to Interzone!

No I do not like my country, I live in homophobic, religious, immigrant hating stuck up Finland. It's been almost 100 years since last war and people can't get over it. Got to army, jail or work in the kitchen, clean places and stuff for twice the time in army.
It's so annoying to hear every day how wonderful country I live in by rlders and stuff.
Most of the people don't even know about homeless and stuff here, thanks to awful amount of propaganda. Patriots just make me sick.

Finland eh? I thought that was a nice country to live in. I hope they can cure their illness about the past war, i mean 100 years? they should get over with it already

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I better love my country if I'm going to be serving it for 4-29 years (Canadian Military)

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Manga Traders | A Shifting Perspective