Thanks for enlightening me. It seems very much a cultural thing. I must admit I'd never thought about the puritan roots. I've been to the US on business a few times and noticed a few things. I had 2 clients, 1 in Pittsburgh and the other i Houston and noticed that they were worlds apart, politically and personally, but probably just more extreme than me as a liberal Londoner compared to a boring 'Little Englander' Yorkshireman.

What did make me shake my head one day was while setting up a stand at a Trade show for my Houston client, he made a comment about me taking a relatively small and ordinary locking knife out of my bag to open the boxes of samples, quizzing me about how normal that was. This was from a guy who took me out at lunch time when he bought a Magnum for his deer hunt finishing off!!

I couldn't even pick the thing up, and didn't really want to, as I had no interest in it, but he thought my small pocket knife was strange!

Therefore your ideas of indecency are way different to mine. Then again, I also found Australian laws crazily rigid and overbearing.

Drinking and pubs is a way of life here, the pub is the centre of the village, town or city. USA and Oz would never allow what we get up to.

All part of learning about other cultures I guess. We would never comment or criticize on other's dress but they might get a withering look. I was surprised one day in London when an American woman asked me if I was a "liberal" because I was reading "The Independent" newspaper. Even that word has a different connotation here. I just thought she was being rather rude for even asking about my politics, especially as we were waiting for the tube train.

Divided by a common language/culture I guess. We have evolved differently.

Thanks and great to discover these things.

Byron/Brian