getting to you in USA - Page 2

The point is that Europe is one political entity i.e. one country. we dont need visas  to travel around but we are exposed to a variety of cultures. When i was still teaching, my classes were multi- national european-wise. The students made friends everywhere and that can only be a good thing surely. Would you not have fancied going to school in say France and Portugal  or Uk and Poland ? We just need passports to roam the rest of the world..

You should live in France - they eat horses !

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ORIGINAL: academic

The point is that Europe is one political entity i.e. one country. we dont need visas to travel around but we are exposed to a variety of cultures. When i was still teaching, my classes were multi- national european-wise. The students made friends everywhere and that can only be a good thing surely. Would you not have fancied going to school in say France and Portugal or Uk and Poland ? We just need passports to roam the rest of the world..

up until a few years ago, we could roam our entire continent without passports too.

What happened to change that ? What parts of your continent do you need a passport ? This is the kind of stuff I dont know about USA. Better to know than speak in ignorance.

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ORIGINAL: RTexasF

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ORIGINAL: academic

We used to own most of France too

And you're proud of that?

 
It certainly added a degree of class to a rather rough and ready culture as well as emphasising that divisions in Europe were always artificial. Pride does not enter into it. History is a strange subject. For instance, I live about two miles from the Washington family home which is now administered by the National Trust and visited by many American tourists.

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ORIGINAL: academic

What happened to change that ? What parts of your continent do you need a passport ? This is the kind of stuff I dont know about USA. Better to know than speak in ignorance.

Entry to Mexico and Canada now require a passport where they did not before. Certainly it has to do with terrorists, security, and so forth.

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ORIGINAL: academic

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ORIGINAL: RTexasF

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ORIGINAL: academic

We used to own most of France too

And you're proud of that?

It certainly added a degree of class to a rather rough and ready culture as well as emphasising that divisions in Europe were always artificial. Pride does not enter into it. History is a strange subject. For instance, I live about two miles from the Washington family home which is now administered by the National Trust and visited by many American tourists.

It was meant as a friendly jab. In general Americans don't overflow with fondness for France. Of the Brits I spoke with that feeling is not limited to the U.S..

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ORIGINAL: RTexasF

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ORIGINAL: academic

What happened to change that ? What parts of your continent do you need a passport ? This is the kind of stuff I dont know about USA. Better to know than speak in ignorance.

Entry to Mexico and Canada now require a passport where they did not before. Certainly it has to do with terrorists, security, and so forth.

How on earth do you enforce that at the Canadian border ?
Rock on, you old horse-loving fart.

Mutual hate between French and Brits ? C'est non possible ! The French dislike eveyone not French. A journey thro' France is often an exercise in frustration compounded by the fact that Brits are dreadful at learning other European languages. We overcome that by talking to furringers extremely slowly and loudly. Guess the French are uptight because nobody else recognises their intrinsic superiority.
Nice "talking" to you !

I put about 22,000 miles on my car in 2007/
 
My mother was from Glasgow, Scotland.  She moved to the U.S.A. when she was about 18 I think.  Of course, she never lost her accent.
I agree that the English spoken in the UK is the proper way to speak it (it is where it originated.)  Except for the crazy slang.  Which I can actually understand a decent amount of due to some of the things my mom used to say.

12-15k/yr here for me...

I drive about 30mi 1-way to work, and we often go all over Texas to see family.

Also, there are times I'm ashamed to be an American; but I will never give up my liberties!

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ORIGINAL: klrspz

12-15k/yr here for me...

I drive about 30mi 1-way to work, and we often go all over Texas to see family.

Also, there are times I'm ashamed to be an American; but I will never give up my liberties!

Like you, there are times when I am unhappy being a Brit but we got rid of our problem. He's now got his snoot firmly in the trough hoovering up the gelt but no longer in charge. Liberties are always an issue. We are having a battle over I.D. cards with biometric data - govt says yes, we say f... off and so it goes. We are cantankerous awkwards sods who despise politicians. Must admit your gun laws [as I understand them ] make me feel uncomfortable tho.

Gun laws here vary a HUGE amount from state to state.  California being the hardest place to get a gun as far as I know... There is Federal law that every state follows but each state can add to that law.  In montana as long as the gun is in plain site and not loaded you're free to carry it.  Standard 5 day waiting period before you can take home a hand gun (after you buy it) and up to like 24 hours on rifles.  Each person must go through a background check and any prior violent offense or felony prevent you from ever owning one.  However, you can still buy one fairly easily from a private party...

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ORIGINAL: 00AccordLX5spd

I put about 22,000 miles on my car in 2007/

My mother was from Glasgow, Scotland.  She moved to the U.S.A. when she was about 18 I think.  Of course, she never lost her accent.
I agree that the English spoken in the UK is the proper way to speak it (it is where it originated.)  Except for the crazy slang.  Which I can actually understand a decent amount of due to some of the things my mom used to say.

Scots speaking English. Hum ! We Geordies are descended from the Roman Army garrison on Hadrians wall, viking invaders, and Scottish cattle thieves/rapists so I guess we are part Scots. English cattle thieves/rapists returned the favour.
Joke - A Geordie is a Scot who lost his bus ticket home. We do however still have strong links with Norway. The Norwegians come to Newcastle on the overnight ferry to shop and party in our boozers.

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ORIGINAL: sir_nasty

Gun laws here vary a HUGE amount from state to state.  California being the hardest place to get a gun as far as I know... There is Federal law that every state follows but each state can add to that law.  In montana as long as the gun is in plain site and not loaded you're free to carry it.  Standard 5 day waiting period before you can take home a hand gun (after you buy it) and up to like 24 hours on rifles.  Each person must go through a background check and any prior violent offense or felony prevent you from ever owning one.  However, you can still buy one fairly easily from a private party...

Unfortunately, gun and knife crime is becoming a big issue here as part of the drug culture. One more cross we mutually bear.

Something I appreciated while visiting the UK was no one driving with a cell phone stuck to their ear since it is outlawed. Why that simple safety measure cannot pass here in The Colonies is beyond me. We all go through it daily.......some twit yakking away drifting into your lane oblivious to your horn, traffic, and the rest of the planet.  

12k-15k a year here too.. if I didn't have a girlfriend 15 miles away, it would probably be around 8k-10k-- I gotta start charging her

RTexasF:  I once saw a guy on the phone bounce his car off the highway median and keep driving and talking on the phone .... I was in the middle lane and saw some of his door panel shoot out the back.  Also, texas isn't a huge desert?  jk.   oh .... and they can't be oblivious to 14" airhorns  ;)

I'm at about 10,000 miles a year.  I drive about 5 miles in the morning and at night, but it takes me an hour and a half to get to work ...... I take the bus into the city.

Oh yeah ...... in Texas, is it even considered a gun if it isn't loaded?!?


Another thing ..... we USED to be able to go to the Carribean islands without a passport too.

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ORIGINAL: RTexasF

Something I appreciated while visiting the UK was no one driving with a cell phone stuck to their ear since it is outlawed. Why that simple safety measure cannot pass here in The Colonies is beyond me. We all go through it daily.......some twit yakking away drifting into your lane oblivious to your horn, traffic, and the rest of the planet.  

Sadly, we do have that particular brand of moron here too. However, the law has just been changed to a fine of £1000 max and six points on your licence [ nine points and byebye licence]. Repeat offenders could risk 6 months sentence. Problem is not the law, it is the lack of prosecutions by police. They seem to prefer persecutions of motorists instead - parking offences, fixed speed cameras, mobile cameras, etc. There was a suggestion made that a phone-in by established so that the public could report offenders. Funny, i thought 1984 had come and gone. George Orwell would be so proud.

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ORIGINAL: academic
 There was a suggestion made that a phone-in by established so that the public could report offenders. Funny, i thought 1984 had come and gone. George Orwell would be so proud.

There's a fricken legal nightmare, just drive around a motorist makes you angry phone in the offense...

We have a "report aggressive drivers" hotline ..... funny that it is a # that you can call from any cell phone (only).  I don't think it does anything other than maybe puts a mark on your record that cops can see when giving you a real ticket.

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ORIGINAL: sir_nasty

Gun laws here vary a HUGE amount from state to state.  California being the hardest place to get a gun as far as I know...

Hard to get a gun?  Maybe if you are a criminal (legally get a gun).  Get one off the streets?  Pretty easy.  Hard to get a ccw?  More like impossible. 

If you mean hard to get one b/c of crazy long "cooling off" periods?  Heck yeah.  I believe it was 30 days when I got my hand guns. 

Better still, the courts will tell someone that it is illegal for him to own firearms-SOOO he suddenly has to sell oh, about 215 handguns REALLY fast.  That's great for the street cops.

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ORIGINAL: ckebottle

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ORIGINAL: sir_nasty

Gun laws here vary a HUGE amount from state to state.  California being the hardest place to get a gun as far as I know...

Hard to get a gun?  Maybe if you are a criminal (legally get a gun).  Get one off the streets?  Pretty easy.  Hard to get a ccw?  More like impossible. 

If you mean hard to get one b/c of crazy long "cooling off" periods?  Heck yeah.  I believe it was 30 days when I got my hand guns. 

Can you still buy a gun from a private party without registering it?

Yes, though perhaps not legal in specific areas.