Terrorist First Jab -- anyone?

My absentee ballot arrived today after much Skype spending and ambushing the Clark County Election Department. A number on the ballot that might spark some interest:

Question No. 5 advisory only: Do you support the imposition of an additional hotel and motel room tax not more than 3 percent to be used in the first 2 years after imposition to avoid large cuts in the funding of education and other state programs and to be used thereafter to increase the funding of K-12 Education, specifically to improve student achievement and for salaries of non-administrative educational personnel?

Yes, of course. Especially for a rapid growing city like Vegas, a city in ominous need for more educational resources. On the contrary, I thought of a time Jeppe and I debated about an involuntary recycling fee I was charged in Copenhagen when I bought a bottle of water. I wanted the option to choose whether or not I wanted to pay this recycling fee. The overall advantages of recycling are obvious, and justifying recycling is not the point here as it should be evident where I stand and what I would inevitably do. At the time I just wished it was a hidden fee, an amount that was merely added on the "tax" line. I didn't want to see all the different fees I didn't ask to pay. Perhaps I was being a righteous and stubborn American who wanted a choice. Or maybe I was just being righteous and stubborn. :)

I realize, though, that if I were to travel somewhere in heavily taxed Europe, say, Dusseldorf and was taxed for German welfare (when two of my own countries I call home have their own share of problems), I probably would expel another "choice" uprising. On the same token, I believe it's a fair fee -- but it would be fairer if I/we were granted the same opportunities. When in Rome, do as the Romans do though. Anyway, I'm sure a German wouldn't mind paying a maximum 3% tax on their room at the Wynn.

The more I'm here the more I'm beginning to see the opposite of ex-nay on the ax-tay. So, I voted yes. I also voted for something that oddly looked like just another name on a paper.

Freaks, Tourists, and Camden

To all my USAers, Camden is in North London and is known for their markets, food stalls, and atypical high street. Oftentimes a bit crowded with tourists and the usual "eclectic" Camden crowd, Camden to me is still one of a kind. It's like the Venice Beach (minus the sun and ocean), Berkley (minus the academia) and Castro Valley (minus the palpable homosexual presence). Nevertheless it's the only place in London where I could get tights and gloves for £2 TOTAL. And you see fun stuff like this...

I wanna be like Julia

Anyone who's known me for a while knows that I am not known for my cooking. Except for my acclaimed fried rice, says my mom, I am typically the only fan of my cuisine.


But everyone knows it's expensive to eat out in London especially for someone like me in the USD and as someone like me who's used to getting a big, nice, and quick meal in Vegas at places like Whole Foods, Samurai Sam's, Claim Jumpers, Red Rock Casino, and PF Chang's. Even some grocery store sushi is doable -- Albertson's I miss you.


These cuismatic forces are encouraging me to improve my Julia Child skills. Embarrassing to admit but Jeppe is superior to cookery. Don't know if it's my lack of measurement abilities (as Americans are raised on measurement units not used by anyone else) or impatience, but there is hope for my domestication. These days I'm starting to actually fancy cooking.


I bought 3 recipe books yesterday before we watched Saw V and tonight I made dinner and dessert which weren't as bad as the movie. Upon discovering a white fish we've never tried in the States or Denmark, I made Basa with Peppers as seen with a smile above. As for dessert, I made Strawberry Tart and without bias I swear it was scrumptialicious. My mom will be so proud. :)


And, I received my National Insurance Number in the mail today. I'm officially in the tax books in the UK. Which means I'll be taxed 22% based on my current part-time income (I paid no income tax in Nevada). Beats the 40% if I made any more than that! Euros and their taxes. But hey, Barack the Vote, I'm all for taxes now! Tax my tart.

Only an American breeds those teeth..

It's a Russell Crowe line to glowing Abbie Cornish's character in Ridley Scott's The Good Year. The 2006 film has often been given the hatchet, but I loved it. You can't go wrong with Americans, Brits, Europeans and romance in a provincial Italian town.

Americans are notorious for their pearly whites. And Brits, well, are not. As some of you may know, I now work for Euromonitor International as a Market Analyst and am currently researching the oral health care industry in the UK and Ireland. I came across this quote today from the Dental Services Division of the National Health Services in Britain:

"Currently just over half the adult population are registered with a dentist (46% adults/63% children)."

To put it in context, the report basically expressed that Brits are just jumping on the oral hygiene bandwagon. Ie a small percentage floss, a small percentage change their toothbrush every 2-3 months, etc etc etc. These numbers are remarkable to an American's oral etiquette as I've found.

However, the oral hygiene market in the UK is unquestionably on the rise due to trends in health consciousness, vanity, multi-functional, total care products (such as whitening + plaque removal toothpastes and mouthwashes) and consumer electronics (fashionable power toothbrushes).

When given this project, I teased a colleague. I said I get why whitening wouldn't work here. Why would a Brit want their jacked up teeth to be more noticeable? You can't whiten tea, cigarette, alcohol, and all those skipped-nights-of-brushing stains. I seemed to be the only one laughing in the room. His response, "Well, we have better things to spend our money on."

Whatever dude. All I hear are snears of how Americans don't have a system that work for them, and I indeed agree that we need a more nationalized healthcare system. We may not have health care, but the percentage of Americans with dental insurance coverage has increased from six percent in 1970 to 61% today (this is a 2004 stat from quick Googling, but I'd be interested in looking up more current figures). Yes, this means Americans are leading Brits in dental care and basic oral hygiene.

Granted and agreed anyone would rather have health care than dental care, it is never acknowledged what Americans actually do well, except feed into obesity, crime, broaden the middle class and unemployment, and give birth to culture, music, television, and film that belittles art and corporatizes our youth. This is just the start, am I right?

BUT, what we do do right is learn from day one that a smile goes a long way. We may not have health care but at least we have our teeth. I want to know what Brits spend their money on over oral hygiene. Lager?

Oh, and 46% is NOT "just over half".

Introduction

"Eurodon" is my portmanteau for "Europe" and "London". London is an unconventional European city for it is possibly more comparable, at least to me, to cosmopolitan metropoli such as New York, Paris, Berlin, and Tokyo. In this blog, I may make generalizations about London, but I don't want to confuse that with Europe as a whole. London may not be typically "European", but London is majorly populated by Europeans. Depending on the context, I will refer to each indepdently but wholely in this blog.

This is my third time leaving the motherland and living in Europe. First time I will group 2 occasions, both of which took place in London - one month study abroad for my BA and about over a year for my MA at King's College. Second time was to, what I want to refer to as an uber European city, Copenhagen Denmark. Presently, I am back in London with a different telescope which is where this catharsis begins.

Inital migrations to Europe had defined me on a more personal, individual level. I learned about myself, my place in this world, and predominately formed many of my views by **accepting** new ideas, cultures, and criticism. It was about me adjusting to my environment and learning to challenge my potential. Perhaps driven by naivete. Perhaps driven by young ambition. Whatever the cause, I returned to America with a more global eye.

But as time ticks and I am once again in the land of Eurodon, at a time when American affairs are critical to the rest of the world and most importantly to themselves, I find myself a NEW American perspective on this terra firma of prosperity. I am a new American and loyalist. Far from conservative in my political views but perhaps traditional in personal values and ideals, I redefine what it means to me to be an American in Europe. I am a lover and hater of both societies, but today I will **reject** and criticize common stereotypes, prejudices, and misconceptions of what I call home.

So...to my new perspective....