What's in the news and random thoughts from London

I thought you would like to know what people talk about over here.

Over and over again, they are very aware of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, so there is quite a bit of discussion related to your "carbon footprint." Some people have responded by riding bicycles to work, which is tough in a place where it's often cold and rainy. Some local agricultural groups have made the claim that fruit and vegetables from countries in Africa should not be imported, or have large taxes placed on them, because they are shipped long distances (and have a large carbon footprint). The economist in me thinks this could be used for protectionism very easily. I should tell you that the European Parliament is in the beginning stages of taxing all flights into and out of Europe based on their carbon emissions. As if travel here isn't expensive enough already.

Buses and bikes share a special lane in London. I'm not sure how safe this is, especially since bicyclists can't ride as fast as buses, and I've seen bus drivers honking at bicyclists often. Many bicyclists like to wear dark clothes at night, which doesn't help.

Brits love soccer and rugby. Sports from the U.S. are practically invisible here and there isn't any coverage of U.S. sports teams in any of the major London papers.

In the U.S. we have problems in the subprime market, even hitting banks like Wells Fargo. In the UK, the big worry is with a giant lender called Northern Rock. The U.S. and UK financial markets are very strongly linked.

If you want to make an instant friend here, just comment on how much you dislike the very weak dollar. Nothing makes a European happier than knowing their currency is doing well, and that a U.S. citizen is frustrated with her/his government about it.

There are a lot of sirens in this city from police, fire and ambulance trucks. I haven't actually seen any emergencies, and I've noticed on a few occasions that these sirens are used to get through busy intersections.

There is entirely way too much attention paid to the following people/happenings:

Kate Moss, The Spice Girls (individually or the entire group), Princes William (a.k.a. "Wills") and Harry and their nights out on the town (usually in Kensington, a very wealthy part of the city), Britney Spears' woes, singer Amy Winehouse's outburst at a recent concert, David Beckham (a.k.a. "Becks"), and Led Zeppelin's BIG, HUGE, MEGA reunion concert that sold out in 1.7 seconds (or some equally insane time frame).

I should tell you that this is a city of Blackberry dependency. Hey, I have a cell phone, but I have to admit the thought of texting people and checking my email on a cell phone, Blackberry or other electronic device has no appeal. Maybe I'm showing how out of touch on the tech front I am or my insignificance in the world, but I'd much rather speak with someone than text them with messages such as "how r u doin?"

People have no qualms about pressing buttons on their gadgets and not looking where they are going. I've almost missed trains because folks ahead of me were so preoccupied with texting someone they forget there are people behind them. You learn to adapt (and push) in London. Nobody has actually dropped a Blackberry because of me, but there's still time! :)

Cheers, Jim