Patient Decline Here

I sometimes get weary of hearing criticism of Americans as not being well educated or aware. First, I think it is untrue and secondly there is a smugness of foreigners toward the U.S. in the mentality that first must be worst...or evil. Having said that we are always our own biggest critics. Americans love to point out their problems and faults, but incongruously, seem to not want outsiders to do the same to us. We point out our faults (and we love to say we aren't educated our kids properly anymore) and when others repeat it we get upset. It makes no sense unless one understands that, though we like to admit faults, we tell ours and expect outsiders to do no more than repeat our own list. Admit to your own!
Anyway, I have some news that will make those who hate Americans rejoice. The long held U.S. domination of world patents (a good measuring stick of which nations are really best educated and productive) is slipping. We know longer produce almost 50% of world patents. The 2005 figures from the World Intellectual Property Organization show that 134,073 international patent requests were filed last year, up almost 10 % from last year. And the U.S. though still number one in the world in patent requests and in production of successful products from those patents, represented only 34% of the world total.
In order behind the U.S, were...you guessed it..Japan at number two. Then Germany, France and Britain rounded out the top five. A big surge in patents is coming from South Korea and China, but we all already know the electronic technological innovations coming from Korea. Korea has moved up to 6th place and China is now 10th on the list. This no doubt is reflective of the surge in Asia in it's change to a more technological based culture.
Well, America is still the most inventive and productive of places, but I have my doubts that will be the case 10 years from now. It's possible we are educational system too indifferent to science, math and engineering. If so, the U.S. is doomed to fall rapidly in importance and prestige.
You know those stories we read or movies we have seen in which someone puts a message in a bottle. The idea is romantic and in fiction the message is always read and answered by the "right person". But hold on! Fiction is quite a different story line to reality. Just ask Harvey Bennett, 55, of Napeague, New York. Harvey is a sailor who dropped a note in a bottle last August, and the reply he got wasn't exactly what he hoped for.
After Harvey excitedly opened the letter he got in reply from the Henry Bigglesworth of Bournerouth, England. You see, Henry isn't very romantic or imaginative, but rather the practical soul. Instead of letting Harvey know his note floated al the way from New York to England, Henry scolded harvey for littering. "I recently found your bottle while taking a scenic walk on the beach by Poole Harbour, " wrote Henry.
"While you may consider this some profound experiment on the path and speed of ocean currents, I have another name for it, LITTER. You Americans don't seem happy unless you are mucking about somewhere, " he continued. Gee, I am glad I sent you this ny E mail. I could only imagine the insults you would hurl at me for sending these stupid comments by bottle and sea.