# North America

America’s often strange in ways that are quite inexplicable. I’m quite
prepared to accept different candy, cereal, fast food outlets, and so
forth. But America also possesses, for example, large numbers of
intersections with stop signs going all four ways. Australia _never_ has
four-way stops. Intersections without traffic lights either: (1) come
with a roundabout; or (2) one road (the bigger one) is designated the
through road whilst the other has to “yield” or “give way.” Why would a
country _not_ want a system like this?

I’m also working on a theory that countries like Australia are often
quite anti-American because the blend of “American” that Australia gets
is often purer, more potent, and more virulent than that of America
itself. Australia gets McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC, but we don’t get
any of the weaker also-rans: Wendy’s, Jack in the Box, Arby’s and so
forth. We have 7-Elevens, as the US does, but we seem to have many more
of them. (A few years ago a friend and I walked around downtown taking
photos of all the 7-Elevens we could find. I photographed ten or so in a
couple of hours, and could’ve shot more.) By contrast US cities seems to
have many more independent corner stores than we do (although I should
say I’ve only been to Boston, NY, Washington and SF).

Another data point: does Manhattan really have more Barnes & Nobles than
McDonald’ses? (Yes, I know, _you_ punctuate it then.) It almost seems
that way.

Still amusing me: Vancouver’s SkyTrains have no drivers! (This is not
quite as dangerous as it sounds because there’s only one line (tracks
never cross) and the tracks are raised above the ground–so it’s
basically a sort of horizontal elevator. Still!)