Well, the whole "global villiage" thing is back... not that it ever left. Even as I am amazed at the flow of money and goods in today's relatively borderless world, I am facinated by what the flow of ideas is capable of, socially.

CNN.com - McDonald's new high-tech burger flipper - Aug. 1, 2003: "'As a company we need to participate in the global village concept,' Dean Barrett, McDonald's vice president for marketing, said. He stressed that McDonald's is trying to adopt a 'borderless approach' to doing business."

America is fairly homogenous, thanks to nationwide television, music, movies... we have a highly developed national culture - that's a binding force. We've all seen E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars, all at the same time. We've experienced Pac-Man, Glastnost, breakdancing, New Kids on the Block, and Adam Sandler together.

With corporations spreading ever-wider, using a single ad campaign across the globe unites us all. After 20 years of crying, laughing and being bored by the same things, how much closer will the people of the world feel? I'm not saying that India and Pakistan will let bygones be bygones or that Israelis and Palestinians will be sharing fountain drinks, or anything; I'm just remarking that inflicting the world with the same ad campaign is a beneficial force for world peace.