Dear Bob ...I always read your Advice Line and continually learn a lot. I enjoy your analogies as they make your writing clearer - but in this case ("A Pioneer collides with Metropolis," 2/28/2007) I have no idea what the article is about!I'm based in England (or the UK as you American's would say) so these very American based analogies leave us ROW readers struggling. To highlight a few particular words with wh Dear Bob …I always read your Advice Line and continually learn a lot. I enjoy your analogies as they make your writing clearer – but in this case (“A Pioneer collides with Metropolis,” 2/28/2007) I have no idea what the article is about!I’m based in England (or the UK as you American’s would say) so these very American based analogies leave us ROW readers struggling. To highlight a few particular words with which I have problems: Frontier, Pioneer, rural Nebraska, EDS, GM. I know that positive feedback can make a system unstable, so if you see any negativity in my comments I hope you see them as an advantage. Thanks.– BritDear Brit … Good point – thanks. I’ll continue to make the error, because selfishly it creates opportunities for follow-ups!To answer your question:* A pioneer is someone who likes to explore previously unexplored territory (a frontier) * Nebraska is a state in the U.S. midwest characterized by lots and lots of very boring, flat landscape and low population density* EDS is the gigantic multinational IT services company founded by Ross Perot and bought by GM.* GM is General Motors. * Ross Perot … well, if he didn’t make the headlines in England during his two tries to become elected President of the United States, it would take more than an Advice Line posting to explain him!Hope that helps.– Bob Technology Industry