wooden men iron tools

[martin]

I see in the "news" today that we may be getting by 2018 a high speed rail link between faro and helva..which i will enjoying on my pension

It was interesting to see a BBC programme recently about how in 6 years the american s laid 2000 miles of track from the pacific to the atlantic with just hands and gunpowder..across the rockies thru hostile areas..indeed iron men and wooden tools.

but now we find that it takes 8 years or so to build 20 miles of track in the uk for a high speed rail link and it will be another 15 years before we can enjoy the tgv (ave in spain) service here in the algarve...indeed it seems to be the case of wooden men and iron tools.

[Charles]

Martin, it is conforting in these troubled times to find the we
Americans did indeed do something right.

[cowboy]

Thank you,... I think.

[Ellie]

and why shouldnt you be proud Charles?
Your nation has given the world many good things--like democracy--your fight for freedom-even though it was against us Brits
Like us at the moment --youre stuck with your "leader" --this coming week all of central london is being closed down for his security!
But I have faith in the American people--and their "goodness of heart" and sense of fair play I believe will always shine through.
On holiday in CVO --I was asked if I was English--when I said Yes---the elderly American said"Well--We cant all be perfect.Join the club!"
Have a nice day---Bom dia, Ellie

[Guest]

is it not good that the americans had such good training until 17?? until they threw the British out...to think what they might have become if only their training had finished....

[Slainte]

I think if you do some research you will find out that it was actually Irish immigrants who were responsible for most of the building of the railways across America, so it's not surprising that it was completed so quickly

[Guest]

actually the bbc programme said that the hardest part going thru the rockies was done by 25000 chinese

anyway whoever did it..they did a lot more then modern man seems to be able to do with all his mechanised equipment and power tools.

[Charles]

is it not good that the americans had such good training until 17?? until they threw the British out...to think what they might have become if only their training had finished....

OUCH!!!

[Charles]

Ellie, thanks for your kind words. You can understand how we Americans
must feel about this terrible quagmire we have gotten ourselves in, let's
hope that we soon will elect a leader who will get us out of it.

[Guest]

yes you can vote for me.

i promise free beer with every big mac

free national false teeth

lawyers can only sue each other

doctors to lose 10 dollars off their salary everytime a patient is sick

aboltion of income tax

a free car for five years when you get hitched

a national program to discover if elvis is living in iran

er thats it.

remember the name Stewdim Whosane

a vote for me is a vote for common sense

any one want to me my running mate (so sexist shurely partner!!)

[Ellie]

Reading Slaintes words reminds me of my old Irish friend Tony--now in his late 80s---who worked all over Europe as a young man---buildings roads in Africa(Nigeria) and runways at airports at some of the main Spanish cities as well as here working here in UK for years --hard sweated labour.
Same goes for all our past --the ordinary man with simple tools who built all our wonderful historic cathedrals and other magnificent buildings --but do we ever think of this when we stand in these places?
When my youngest first asked Tony what he'd done for a living--he replied "I shovelled s--t!"
No you didnt Tony! You built solid foundations with back breaking hard slog mate!
I must confess Charles that I did feel a little safer when "Bill" was in charge--maybe you feel the same?
Im wandering off the topic a bit---building railways---well it was a Brit(sorry Scot) who invented it---but over a hundred years on---seems we still dont know how to run one-----
We could learn a lot from the Spanish it seems.
Theres a lot of things to discuss in this topic---building railways--immigrants work----American politics--------

[cowboy]

Get real, Guest.....everyone knows Elvis is flipping burgers at a Mc Donalds somewhere in Kansas.

[Charles]

Sorry Ellie, we would not want the likes of "Bill" back in the white
house, due to his ineptness he laid the ground work for a lot of
the middle east problems we have today. He was so concerned with
poles and his public image and covering his behind for his antics in
the white house that it was difficult for him to focus on world affairs.

Excuse me for airing our dirty laundry on this forum, but that is the
way I feel about "Bill".

I promise...no more American politics...

[Ellie]

Im sorry too Charles--I rather "drew" you into that one and Im sure you aremuch more "wised up" on the US political scene than myself.
I suppose I meant ---Bill had a (dare I say it?) much more "hands on approach" with folk--more communicative with people,which even our"Tone" doesnt have.
However can I just say how very sorry I am to hear yet again today of the deaths of more young Americans in Iraq-my heart goes out to them and their families.Please God theres a solution to this terrible situation soon.
Now back to Martins topic on the railways and the planned one for Algarve--sincerely hope you get your high-speed train before you draw your pension Martin