I keep trying -clearly unsuccessfully - to copy and paste and then add quotation marks, with commentary! But those two sentences are SO good they deserve to be reprinted twice! They capture our national self-importance, our consumerist focus on material details rather than difficult democracy, our false sense of individuality, our general complacency. All of which are being exploited as the Republicans eviscerate our Constitution, the military occupies our cities, children are illegally separated from their families, and our highest court stamps the imprimatur of legality on it all. It is remarkable how comfortable Americans are with authoritarianism if we are still allowed the illusion of individuality and hence self-determination.
Ibuprofen isn't great for your stomach lining or if you have dodgy kidneys. Otherwise it's a great anti-inflammatory. I find it useless for pain relief. I love these commentaries on finding America and walking home through the woods reciting Robert Frost is just so 'an Englishman Abroad'!!
There are not only 50 States but in my state of New Jersey municipalities are deemed to have home rule because they preceded the constitution of the United States and even in many cases the Declaration of Independence. Then there’s special jurisdictions such as school boards and interstate jurisdictions like the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for instance. Anyway I hope you and your family are feeling better, and that we’re not too weird a country for you.
My daughter is just back from working at a summer camp in Maine and was appalled at pain killers being sold in huge quantities, she didn’t mention cigarettes or wine, so maybe not in the chemist she visited!
Sorry to hear about the problems with your family domicile, Henry. I hope that it won’t be too long until you can get things sorted out. The country is different, the customs and way of living are decidedly different, but, thankfully, people are pretty much the same all over the world. I hope you will find it fascinating and stimulating once you have acclimated. All the best, John.
Ibuprofen isn't too dangerous though it is bad for your stomach if you take it a lot on an empty stomach. Acetaminophen is another story.
The liquor laws in America are amazingly varied. In New York you can't buy wine or spirits in places that sell food (you can buy beer, though), so the grocery stores all sell this absolutely noxious stuff called "Chateau Diana" that I think exists solely to trick people into buying it because they've just moved there and don't know any better. It is so bad.
My husband is from a city in southern California that has a horse racing track. One day when we were visiting and taking a very early morning walk, we saw a bar near the track that opened at 6 am. Another day when we walked by at a similarly early hour, the door was open and people were in there drinking!
Continuing to delight in an Englishman’s take on American mores. “It was the hell of a weekend.” I thought myself conversant with most of British English but that’s new to me, or I never gave it any notice. Yanks say “a hell of a.”
Property managers - a varied lot, from wonderful to ‘welcome to hell.’ Far more of the latter. My sympathies.
It’s appalling that pharmacies (drugstores, in the American parlance, which make them sound quite sinister compared to the British “chemists”), meant to be the repositories of all things healthful and medicinal, sell something as harmful as cigarettes. But as Henry rightly observes, America is all about convenience - one-stop shopping. In Texas I once saw a laundromat that also sold ammo.
I can’t resist two tweaks tho—Sears sold several styles of kit houses, not just one; and it’s not that we fear being mistaken for our neighbors—that’s not why people keep saying *but not everywhere* in America is like x, y, z. It’s because we fear you’ll be disappointed if you go elsewhere and things are different—it’s about being a good host.
As for farmer’s markets—yes! Outrageous prices in suburban and urban areas. You need to get to a rural farmer’s market for the deals. If my Amish neighbor sold celery it would be for no more than $1.75.
In my experience the "not everywhere" comments are often coming from a competitive place, as we love to trash other states (or sometimes our own). It's the same reason ex-Californians aren't always forthcoming with their origins (it me).
I like a lot of traditional American suburbs: the decks/front porches, the way the front gardens run into each other without fences - the opposite of territorial, and the different architecture, like you say. Lots of trees along the sidewalks (of course there aren't always sidewalks) and often kids biking or playing in the parks. In the UK now everyone seems keen to demarcate their space.
Many long words. The summary is this: it's probably not a great idea to eat 50 x 400mg tablets but with good critical care support you'll probably survive. If you try to tough it out, or you're stuck in the boondocks, you could easily bleed to death.
And as @JuneGirvan suggested more concisely below: if you're already ill, decrepit or otherwise there is risk of harm even with 'therapeutic' doses.
As an emergency doctor I advise anyone who isn't a fit young person with a sports injury to avoid it.
I would get out more, but I'm counting my pills ....
[Henry: Sorry to hear about the unbathed children - I feel sure they will be loving it.]
I want to be clear that this is not medical advice, but I have taken 16 200 mg ibuprofen in a day (and for several days in a row) when I’ve “thrown out” my back.
So that would be… one packet in the UK. Yow!
I’m feeling be grateful for the USA system, thank you.
Just for info, the restriction on over the counter drugs began in 1998 with paracetamol, as by then because of its availability it had become the drug of choice in nearly half of all overdoses. Pack size was cut from 100 to 32 tabs and limited to one pack at a time - the thinking being that much of the self-poisoning was impulsive rather than planned. In the first year following the change there was a significant drop in both deaths and liver transplants following paracetamol poisoning. Get a half bottle of ibuprofen, and you can spend the change on a head of celery!
I keep trying -clearly unsuccessfully - to copy and paste and then add quotation marks, with commentary! But those two sentences are SO good they deserve to be reprinted twice! They capture our national self-importance, our consumerist focus on material details rather than difficult democracy, our false sense of individuality, our general complacency. All of which are being exploited as the Republicans eviscerate our Constitution, the military occupies our cities, children are illegally separated from their families, and our highest court stamps the imprimatur of legality on it all. It is remarkable how comfortable Americans are with authoritarianism if we are still allowed the illusion of individuality and hence self-determination.
Ibuprofen isn't great for your stomach lining or if you have dodgy kidneys. Otherwise it's a great anti-inflammatory. I find it useless for pain relief. I love these commentaries on finding America and walking home through the woods reciting Robert Frost is just so 'an Englishman Abroad'!!
Going to memorise more of his poems now
I was watching some police-procedural/mystery thing the other evening and the forensic pathologist was quoting Robert Frost (as they do…🙄)
There are not only 50 States but in my state of New Jersey municipalities are deemed to have home rule because they preceded the constitution of the United States and even in many cases the Declaration of Independence. Then there’s special jurisdictions such as school boards and interstate jurisdictions like the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for instance. Anyway I hope you and your family are feeling better, and that we’re not too weird a country for you.
Not too weird at all I love it!
You don't even want to know what kind of stuff we sell at pharmacies the further south you go.
Guns?
My daughter is just back from working at a summer camp in Maine and was appalled at pain killers being sold in huge quantities, she didn’t mention cigarettes or wine, so maybe not in the chemist she visited!
I'm enjoying your takes on American life, Henry.
Thanks!
Sorry to hear about the problems with your family domicile, Henry. I hope that it won’t be too long until you can get things sorted out. The country is different, the customs and way of living are decidedly different, but, thankfully, people are pretty much the same all over the world. I hope you will find it fascinating and stimulating once you have acclimated. All the best, John.
I do find it fascinating yes!
Ibuprofen isn't too dangerous though it is bad for your stomach if you take it a lot on an empty stomach. Acetaminophen is another story.
The liquor laws in America are amazingly varied. In New York you can't buy wine or spirits in places that sell food (you can buy beer, though), so the grocery stores all sell this absolutely noxious stuff called "Chateau Diana" that I think exists solely to trick people into buying it because they've just moved there and don't know any better. It is so bad.
I remember a pancake place in Cambridge MA where the waitress and a customer bitched about liquor laws because he couldn’t get a beer at like 10am.
My husband is from a city in southern California that has a horse racing track. One day when we were visiting and taking a very early morning walk, we saw a bar near the track that opened at 6 am. Another day when we walked by at a similarly early hour, the door was open and people were in there drinking!
A bar for third-shifters!
Continuing to delight in an Englishman’s take on American mores. “It was the hell of a weekend.” I thought myself conversant with most of British English but that’s new to me, or I never gave it any notice. Yanks say “a hell of a.”
Property managers - a varied lot, from wonderful to ‘welcome to hell.’ Far more of the latter. My sympathies.
It’s appalling that pharmacies (drugstores, in the American parlance, which make them sound quite sinister compared to the British “chemists”), meant to be the repositories of all things healthful and medicinal, sell something as harmful as cigarettes. But as Henry rightly observes, America is all about convenience - one-stop shopping. In Texas I once saw a laundromat that also sold ammo.
I just love these American essays.
I can’t resist two tweaks tho—Sears sold several styles of kit houses, not just one; and it’s not that we fear being mistaken for our neighbors—that’s not why people keep saying *but not everywhere* in America is like x, y, z. It’s because we fear you’ll be disappointed if you go elsewhere and things are different—it’s about being a good host.
As for farmer’s markets—yes! Outrageous prices in suburban and urban areas. You need to get to a rural farmer’s market for the deals. If my Amish neighbor sold celery it would be for no more than $1.75.
That makes sense. People here are excellent hosts!
In my experience the "not everywhere" comments are often coming from a competitive place, as we love to trash other states (or sometimes our own). It's the same reason ex-Californians aren't always forthcoming with their origins (it me).
lol, I was going to say that the only state I trash on is California! [sorry]
No apology necessary, that's why I left!
"I came home through the woods reciting Robert Frost."
?
just loved the phrase
I like a lot of traditional American suburbs: the decks/front porches, the way the front gardens run into each other without fences - the opposite of territorial, and the different architecture, like you say. Lots of trees along the sidewalks (of course there aren't always sidewalks) and often kids biking or playing in the parks. In the UK now everyone seems keen to demarcate their space.
A doctor writes ... [referencing Private Eye, for those who have no idea why I might say this]
I am often asked "Can I eat my own bodyweight in Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories?"
And the answer is (to quote Chris Rock) .. "not really". However, it's remarkable both how much and how little you can take
See here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526078
Many long words. The summary is this: it's probably not a great idea to eat 50 x 400mg tablets but with good critical care support you'll probably survive. If you try to tough it out, or you're stuck in the boondocks, you could easily bleed to death.
And as @JuneGirvan suggested more concisely below: if you're already ill, decrepit or otherwise there is risk of harm even with 'therapeutic' doses.
As an emergency doctor I advise anyone who isn't a fit young person with a sports injury to avoid it.
I would get out more, but I'm counting my pills ....
[Henry: Sorry to hear about the unbathed children - I feel sure they will be loving it.]
I want to be clear that this is not medical advice, but I have taken 16 200 mg ibuprofen in a day (and for several days in a row) when I’ve “thrown out” my back.
So that would be… one packet in the UK. Yow!
I’m feeling be grateful for the USA system, thank you.
Just for info, the restriction on over the counter drugs began in 1998 with paracetamol, as by then because of its availability it had become the drug of choice in nearly half of all overdoses. Pack size was cut from 100 to 32 tabs and limited to one pack at a time - the thinking being that much of the self-poisoning was impulsive rather than planned. In the first year following the change there was a significant drop in both deaths and liver transplants following paracetamol poisoning. Get a half bottle of ibuprofen, and you can spend the change on a head of celery!
Out of curiosity, which Robert Frost? I’ve about got Stopping By Woods mastered (a bit wobbly in the middle) but I might make brain-space for another.