To follow our lead (lede?) story....Samoa plans to switch from driving on the right, to driving on the left, just 13 days from now.
KPC readers want to know: WTF?
Some arguments for the switch--
1. The main reason for Samoa's switch is that two of its biggest neighbors, Australia and New Zealand, drive on the left-hand side, whereas Samoa currently drives on the right, as in the U.S. By aligning with Australia and New Zealand, the prime minister says, it will be easier for poor Samoans to get cheap hand-me-down cars from the 170,000 or so Samoans who live in those two countries. It could also help more people escape tsunamis, says [Prime Minister] Tuilaepa.
2. In a TV address about the road change last week, the prime minister warned that "the only thing to fear is fear itself." [Ed: Now, THAT is a good one. Unfortunately, the PM also appears to think that people should fear tsunamis (see #1, above). So, the only things we have to fear are fear itself, and tsunamis....and sharks. Amongst our fears are....]
3. [The prime minister] listed a series of other steps, including declaring Sept. 7 and 8 national holidays. The government has also set up a "training area" near a sports stadium where drivers can practice the fine art of driving on the left side of the road.
Tomorrow: The other side speaks out, with arguments against.
(The view from Oz....Can anyone find a web site for "People Against Switching Sides", or PASS?)
3 comments:
The brave people of Samoa decide to adopt the ways of civilisation and good sense and your response is to mock them? Shame on you, Dr. Mungowitz!
Kunal:
"Civilized" people do not spell the word with an "s." I would hate for you to "labour" under the idea that misspelling words is the reason we kicked the Brits' asses (except in 1812-1815, when they kicked ours, and burned down our capitol, and that sort of thing).
Well, Herr Professor Doktor Mungowitz, I humbly submit that in a two-player game that the player who kicked the other player's ass last is the person who gets the bragging rights for the ass-kicking. Your rights to brag about the ass-kicking have been superseded, in other words.
This is why US Americans no longer have the right to make videos such as these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr6hYxhAEoM&eur
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