Heh! Before I point out some horrible truths about British women, I have some questions for you.
Why do you need TV at all? I do without it. ANYTHING I can get on TV I prefer to watch on my computer either via streaming or downloaded. I admit, if you want streaming sports and shit, you'd have to pay for it, but I don't care for that shit so I dont. As a result of me not needing anything LIVE, I save myself a fortune. All TV shows and movies I simply get from the Internets.
I'm now able to watch or read any and all financial news on my computer when I want or need to (Bloomberg, CNBC, Reuters, etc.). There are only two or three entertainment shows that I still watch on satellite. But I can get most of them using a digital antennae (PBS is over-air network with an antennae). The old movies I could get using Netflix or Amazon Prime. So far, the main thing standing in my way of cutting the cord (or knocking down that DirecTV dish) is not yet finding a way to view live Formula One races. You see, without F1, I will die. I'd be like a vampire with no access to fresh blood. Like a mouse with no cheese. Like Elton John with no sausage. Petra doesn't like it when we speak positively of pirating, but I'll be honest: I will get DirecTV out of my house by year end and I will have my live F1 races in 2015. A man must do what a man must do.
I would subscribe to an F1 season pass, if I could. I'm not a thief - I'm willing to pay. But unlike you folks (with SkySports, is it?) we don't have that option here. And the only way I can view NBCSports, other than on DirecTV, is if I have a cable or satellite subscription that they can authenticate. See, I can watch races on my computer or iPad... as long as I have a DirecTV (Charter/Comcast/Time Warner, etc.) subscription. Gee, thanks. Bastards!
Question, is it possible in America to get just internet without the TV bundles?
Sure. When I kill DirecTV, I'll keep my internet provider. It'll be about $35/month for a 5 Mbps line or $45 for 10 Mbps. The fastest broadband that I'm aware of in the U.S. is 100 Mbps, and later this year the max in the U.S. will go to 300 Mbps in New York and L.A. Is bundling really cheaper? They *claim* that the more services you bundle, the cheaper the package ends up being. That's not always true though. Their package isn't available in my area, but AT&T can give you cable TV, wireless phone service, broadband internet and I think they still do landline phones in some places. But I haven't had a landline phone in my home for over 10 years.
Right, now to reply to the rest. They don't promote democracy in Israel, that's already there. They partially fund Israeli's military. I can't speak for the other countries you mentioned in this context other than to say that I understand what you meant in the overall message. America does invest a lot of money in it's foreign policy which it perhaps should not be doing.
To be honest, I was being sarcastic about the democracy promotion thing. In addition to certain other things, I'm full of sarcasm. Spreading democracy at $3 million per foreign person is perfectly fine and is just what a lot of Americans like to tell themselves or believe. As for Israel, it seems to be about as
democratic as the American south was before women and Blacks had the vote. But I'll leave that alone for the politics & religion forum. Our infrastructure really is falling apart though. And it is true that there is very little focus on it compared to foreign aid spending. Public transport and roads, in addition to maintaining a robust and secure power grid, is another area where I believe you folks are ahead of us.
British women are among the ugliest around. Don't be fooled by the few attractive ones you might have seen on TV. The average (we're talking about ratios here) is pretty grotesque.
Most of the female stock around these parts is derived from the English and Irish. So I have to be careful about claiming any sort of superiority on that one. Plus, I was in Walmart to grab some groceries before the big snow hit yesterday. All I'll say is, watching a massive herd of fat, pale women in sweat pants grab for milk and bread ain't somethin' a feller should do after he's had lunch. Man, you just don't know! :throwup: There's a light sprinkling of Italians, Blacks and more recently a few Mexicans and (Asian) Indians here - but not many. Other than the accents, I doubt I would even know I was in England. But while watching the McLarens, Ferraris and Mercedes circulate Silverstone, I wouldn't mind seeing Jessica Brown Findlay or (worst case) Billie Piper running naked around the paddock and speaking French. Princess Beatrice and Queen Lizzie can keep their clothes on - especially if I've just had some fish & chips. That Princess Harry is a cute girl though.
