Returned from a great europe trip. I got a look all thru italy heatland by commuter train (244kmh!).� It ran beside the beautiful highways full of pan tech trucks.� If there were no factories passing by then it was food to the horizon. Villages built up 2 stories and compact (not sprawling �out with 100,s of 1/4 acre blocks) not from lack of open available land but the need to conserve it for food.� Then a gobsmacking sight of IKEA warehouse taking seconds to pass at that speed and when passed it looked as though it disappeared over the horizon. This country is sometimes spoken of as a basket case in the EU. This country must have 20 car companies. Fiat, Alfa producing million plus cars p/year.� Then there are 18 others!� including� Lambo, Lancia masarati Pagini, Ferrari. Sure the population is 59mil� and the market is huge compared to ours but in the EU market there are in england� 35 active (and 500! not active) car companies� ford toyota GM aston lotus jaguar� bentley landrover mini mclaren morgan to name a few (61mil people)� France� citroen peugeot renault + 17 other companies 64mil, Germany 24 inc audi bmw frod merc opel porche VW (120 vw models!) 17 others inc smart and 83mil. No doubt I have missed many.

NOT one of the employees i spoke to earned anywhere near our guys on up to $55P/hr� Infact the team leader at jaguar who was retired 4 years was on 15GBP about $29 P/hr and he said little had changed in the 4 years since.� Here is a country that people never own a home, Pay twice more than us for food and fuel and beer. Pay 20% GST every time they buy anything except nappies. In italy a TOP guy in a good position in Lambo was on equivalent of $48k per year which includes being paid 13 months wages each good year(how italian!)

I dont know where i am going with this as I just dont know how we got where we are....