Treasury dept: embracing the euro.(The Talk of the Town)

Publication: The New Yorker

Publication Date: 21-JAN-02

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COPYRIGHT 2002 All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of The Condé Nast Publications Inc.

The Italians say "e-ur-o." The Germans say "oi-ro." The Spanish haven't decided what to say, except that the "o" is loud. The French say something unpronounceable that involves turning your mouth into a small hole, about the size of a euro coin. And the Brits, who don't have to say anything, stare pointedly at their pound notes, which no one who is using euros can afford anyway. Two weeks and twelve countries into European monetary union, the economy of Western Europe hangs on a rush on pocket calculators and little plastic cards that grade vintages on one side and, on the other, change with the light to tell you how much you're really spending on the wine you've bought. Shops and...

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