Didn’t Continental used to operate an intra-city service in Houston? It must have been G Bush->Hobby.

Then again it might have been in Dallas?

Also, there used to be flights from San Francisco to Oakland. That can’t be very far.

Then there was the LHR-LGW link which was scrapped decades ago.

The actual distances are a lot longer than the likes of Westray-Papa Westray, but a scheduled flight between 2 points in one city is impressive!

Well if I had to sit my driving test again I think I wold fail!

Wys – how does it work with contract pilots? You know, the chaps who do 6 months in Canada, 6 months in Senegal and 8 months in Thailand. An old girlfriend’s old man used to do that (well, US-Nigeria-UK) and I’m just curious.

I imagine aircraft lessors have a problem (eg. Air Atlanta) as they often lease out both the aircraft and the pilots.

Would you need to get a new type rating every time you went to a new country?

There is a growing feeling that military discipline is not very good. The spate of suicides added to this Cpyrus thing paints a disturbing picture.

OK, I can accept that.

If I may be so bold, a lot of the anti-Americanism we see these days arises because the typical US point of view is, instinctively, very different from everyone else’s. But the Americans never try to explain their point of view; just get angry with everyone for not sharing it. A bit more understanding goes a long way.

Hang on a sec here, how can you argue that colonisation is the same as invasion?

That manifestly is not the case.

But it’s a whole new topic. I’d be happy to discuss it if anyone wants to, but lets save a new thread for that.

Also, the notion that China is not really communist. I beg to differ. China has a veneer of capitalism and has opened its markets up, that much I will admit. But lets disregard ideology here. You can say that Communist countries have lots of things in common – the hallmarks of communism:

– Lack of personal freedoms (eg. internet censorship)
– Brutal repression (eg. Tiananmen Square)
– Lack of democracy (eg. one party state)
– Hugely militaristic society (eg. unusually high % of GDP)
– Propaganda (think of Pravda)

All Communist countries had these things (USSR, China, North Korea, Cuba, parts of Africa). Countries like Russia which have moved on, are improving in relation to the above list. China…is it improving? On the surface, maybe it is. But deep down…I say, no, it isn’t.

Hence it is possible to argue that China is still communist.

Yes, there is a huge North-South divide.

Isn’t the US the same – with New England etc., and New York…and then places like “the South” where everyone is religous but poor 😉

I’m not having a dig at the US – my own country is the same (England) with even my home of the Isle of Man having a slight N-S disparity.

Would you mind expanding on that?

Again! Condolences to the families involved.

According to the BBC:

“Our correspondent said employees at the factory had raised concerns about the gunman with their managers, complaining that he seemed mentally disturbed. “

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3055786.stm