One of the things about travel is that it does broaden your mind; you come to understand how quickly every part of the world is becoming exactly like every other part of the world.  The force driving the rapid homogenization is of course the rise of globalism and the multi-national corporation.  Now in the past, I've resisted the siren song allure of individualism, preferring instead the idea that one should be a part of the world and stay engaged with events that lie outside one's personal interest.  A recent trip to Ireland has shaken my faith in that simple creed and I find that maybe an interconnected globe isn't such a good idea after all.  In fact, it seems to me that the rush to globalize may be the result of more greed, corruption, and underhanded dealing than Jacques Chirac's efforts to take a oui on the European constitution.