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Author Topic:   Rooty Hill Cross Cultural Exchange

Alphaman posted 06-18-99 12:42 PM ET
Since there is such a wide cultural and national representation here on the forums I thought it might be interesting if we exchanged information, ideas, thoughts, and all round back slapping to cheer ourselves up.
I suppose I should introduce myself first.
My name is Joe, though you all know me as Aman. My cultural experiences are wide ranging. I was born in Hungary, experienced the life of a political refugee from a communist state, lived for a period in a mass concentration camp in Austria, and finally came to be a permanant resident of Australia.
If you have any questions about any of those countries or anything else, feel free to post.
I also have several questions for others:
1) What sort of traffic speed controls are there in other countries? Here in Australia they have mobile roadside speed cameras which take a photo of your license plate if you drive past it too fast.
2) What is the speed limit in other countries? Here it is 60 km/h in the suburbs and 100 on the freeway.
3) Do they have a phrase for "good apetite" in your native language? What I'm talking about is a phrase like "bon apetit" in french, which is something you say before a meal to the others at your table. In the english language this phrase seems to be missing ("good apetite" is NOT used at all actually)
4) Do they have really good software stores in your country? Here in Australia the selection is absolutely pathetic. A few large chains and a little second hand store here and there is the only place to buy games.
5) Is there anything you want to share about where you live, what you do, etc, that is unique to your neighbourhood?
Stasis Archon posted 06-18-99 12:49 PM ET
I thought Australians were named Bruce.
Hugo Rune posted 06-18-99 01:00 PM ET
Hi! My real name is Johan, And I live in sweden. Previously I've lived for five years in Hungary and 6 in Tanzania. I'll try to tell as much as I can about Sweden and Tanzania.
1. I think this is kind of common to most countries. In Sweden, we've had similar systems for some time. In Tanzania the system is still very experimental and only being tested in one or two places (Tanzania doesn't have any Highways, and maybe one or two acceptably good country roads (By european standards). The rest are dirt roads if you're lucky. Otherwise it's broken tarmac. Not fun at all. Still, the scenery makes up for it in most places.) The tanzanian speed controls are mostly used by the police to collect bribes. Tanzania sadly ranks as the third most corrupt country in the world. Too bad for such a nice place with so nice people.
2. Sweden: 30 km/h in Small housing suburbs, 50 km/h in most suburbs and the city, 90-110 on most highways. In Tanzania the speed limit is 50 in urban areas and 100 on higways, I think. I'm not sure because no-one there actually follows them.
3. "V�l Bekommen" is a rather antiquated phrase for this in Swedish. "J� �tv�gyat k�v�nok" is "I wish ypu a good apetite" in Hungarian. I don't know enough Swahili to answer this question for Tanzania.
4. In Tanzania there's nothing. Especially Not for games. If any computer store sells 'em, It's for horrendous prices. Partly it's because the Tanzanian government classifes computer as a "luxury" and has ridiculously high duty fees for them. In Sweden it's OK. There are lot's of little shops selling games.
Alphaman posted 06-18-99 01:14 PM ET
Hugo - Is Sweden really the North European paradise most people think it is? Like the "blonde women with large breasts everywhere" stories and such. I lived in Sweden for a VERY brief period as a small child and I don't really remember anything about it.
And how did you end up in Tanzania? (Thats in Africa right?)
Stasis - If you bothered to read my post you would see that I am not Australian. BTW - they are called Mate. All of them.
Hugo Rune posted 06-18-99 01:17 PM ET
No, Not really. Sweden is a very nice place, but it's too cold to be any fun. And we don't have very many blondes (this is a good thing)...
My father worked at the Swedish Embassy in Tanzania. Yup, It's in africa.
Alphaman posted 06-18-99 01:40 PM ET
I suppose its just a myth then.
Guess the same goes for Australia. Most people think it is a land of sunshine and endless beaches and people walking around with no clothes on.
FACTS:
1) Australian beaches (the good ones anyway) are constantly crowed to the point of you sharing your beach towel with strangers.
2) Australia is located almost right under the hole in the Ozone layer.
3) More than 20 mins exposure to the sun gives you skin cancer.
4) There aren't that many nude beaches. The ones that exist are full of old fogies and ugly people.
5) The women here are same as anywhere else (or possibly a bit worse)
So its not as crash hot as most people would really think.
ie. We do not live in a holiday destination for foreigners.
Alphaman posted 06-18-99 01:42 PM ET
BTW - got anything against blondes? They are a delicacy here in Australia.
OhWell posted 06-18-99 01:48 PM ET
My name is Todd and I live in suburb just north of Cincinnati, Ohio in the USA. I�ve lived here for 17 years. Before that I lived in a small town about 35 miles northwest of Dayton, Ohio. My degree is in Architectural Engineering, but now I program computers for a �living�. Go figure.
For traffic control we have the State Police (Smoky Bear), the County Sheriff (County Mounty) and the City Police (Local Yokel). The police use radar, lasers and sometimes aircraft to catch speeders. Some people use radar and laser detectors to avoid the police although I have never heard of anyone using a SAM to try to shoot down a police aircraft. All the truckers have CB radios to tell each other where the cops are hiding. When they catch you, they beat you up and put you in jail for smuggling drugs. Sometimes, if they are having a really bad day or are ready to go off shift, they will just shoot you and be done with it. Seriously, they don�t shoot you too often. The paper work�s a bitch.
The speed limits over here are designed to confuse the average motorist. For example, on the interstate highways in Ohio, you can go 65 mph everywhere except where you can only go 55 unless they say you can only go 50, unless you are in a truck over four tons empty and then you can only go 55 unless traffic is so backed up that you can only go 5 mph because running over all of those cars in your way really slows you down. The street just north of my house is about four miles long and has speed limits of 25, 35, 40 and 45 mph depending on where you are. On one stretch you can go 40 going west bound but only 35 if you are east bound on the other side of the street.
In the USA the phrase for �Good Appetite� is �Do you want fries with that?�
There are at least five major stores, that I can buy hardware and software at, within three miles of my house and many small stores.
Cincinnati has a good Zoo. A decent Baseball team (the Cincinnati Reds) and an outstanding Football team (The Cincinnati Bungles). The Bungles have had a near perfect record for years, but next year, they may actually win a game. Hay, you can�t loose them all. The Bungles were going to leave Cincinnati and go somewhere where they could get more money because everyone was laughing at them all the time. Everyone felt so bad about it that we decided to add an extra 1/2% to our sales tax to build the Bungles a stadium to play in.
I like to build and fly radio controlled aircraft. I race them and teach other people to fly too. I like SciFi books and movies (good ones, rare). I have also been known to play computer games once in a while.
Alphaman posted 06-18-99 02:02 PM ET
Wow, no kidding about the confusing speed limits.
I always wanted to have a radio controlled car or plane or boat. But they are damn expensive (unless you make your own I guess )
Picker posted 06-18-99 02:17 PM ET
My name is Denny(Pick is my last name, of course). I have been a Canadian all my life. Ontario is the Province I live in.
1) We had that license plate thing but it was thrown out since everyone on the 400 series speeds, and one of canada's laws is that you must go the speed of all the other traffic.
2) In canada the speed limit is 50 km/hr in the cities, 90 on the highways, and 100 on the 400 series.
3) We do have phrases like "bon appetit" but I don't know what they are.
4) We have tons of good software places.
5) I live in one of the rare few almost entirely white cities in canada(at least one of the few outside of quebec).
4Horses posted 06-18-99 02:21 PM ET
Alright, ya'll talked me into it.
My name is Mike, AKA Sergeant G, at work. I've been in the Army for 13 years now. My job is officially titled "Animal Care Specialist" which means I take care of any kind of animal from horses and cows to dogs and cats to a wide range of laboratory animals. I am also a nationally certified Laboratory Animal Technician. I'm currently in school taking pre-veterinarian courses. I grew up in Florida and Oklahoma. And thanks to the Army I have lived in or at least visited such places as North Carolina, Washington DC, Alaska, Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize, Panama, Egypt, Italy, Germany, the Azores, and Saudi Arabia. I currently live in a suburb north of Chicago about 3 miles from Michael Jordon's house (no kidding). My house however does not compare to his.
Here in Chicagoland they talk about people driving too fast and the need to put cameras at the stop lights to catch people but so far it's just talk. The average speed limit in the city is 35mph (55kph?) and 65mph on the highways (110kph?).
I agree with Todd (OhWell), "Do you want fries with that" is a pretty common phrase here in the US. Some others that kind of mean bon appetit are "Dig in" and "I worked all afternoon making this dinner so you better be hungry."
I couldn't count the number of software stores in my area. The problem is most of them have a small stock. There's a pretty good one that I go to that usually offers new games at reduced prices and then raises the prices about a month later. So if you get there at the right time, you'll come out a winner.
Chicago is a unique city and a city of extremes. We have both Oprah and Jerry Springer. We had both Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman. We have the Cubs and the White Sox. And we have Mancow! (www.mancow.com)
It is a very ethnically diverse city and there is always something going on.
OhWell posted 06-18-99 02:35 PM ET
Aman,
The planes aren�t too bad. I was just looking at an add for an RTF (Ready To Fly) package with a decent trainer aircraft, a motor and radio for $329 (US). You would need a few accessories to go with it, but you could be in the air for about $350. That is a fairly big aircraft with a 60� wing span and a full four function radio (aileron, elevator, rudder and throttle). Smaller limited function aircraft are cheaper, but are not as easy to learn to fly.
Back in the late 60�s when I started flying, an average radio alone was over $500. The �computer� radios today do things that you could not have bought in the 60�s at any price, and for less money too! Ain�t progress grand?
You can get cars and boats at Radio Shack for $50 or $60. Some guys, who race cars, put in a track next to flying field. Now their racing cars are (what I consider) expensive. Some of them are well over $1500. The planes I race cost from $600 to $800 depending on the engine.
OhWell posted 06-18-99 02:44 PM ET
4Horses,
Jerry Springer... You know that that guy used to be Mayor of Cincinnati? Then he was on the Channel 5 news. Once he got busted for prostitution (buying not selling). He paid the girl with a check and the check bounced! LOL And now his stupid TV show. What a looser. I hope you guys shut him down!
Picker posted 06-18-99 03:37 PM ET
Never happen, the average american enjoys the stupidity that shows up on his show.
OhWell posted 06-18-99 04:01 PM ET
Pick,
Yea...
Valtyr posted 06-18-99 04:21 PM ET
My name is Stig. I'm 26 years old and a student at the University of Bergen, Norway. I have lived in Bergen my whole life.
1) Roadside cameras, "random" speed controls.
2) Ranging from 30 to 90 (or is it 80? I do not drive.). The roads here are not great, especially in the west (where I live) and north. There are not many flat areas to really do some serious speeding .
3) "Vel bekommen!" is rarely used. "H�per det smaker!" ("I hope it is of your liking") and "V�r s� god og forsyn deg/Dem!" ("Please help yourself!") likewise. Most often we just say "V�r s� god!" ("Here you are!") or just nothing at all. "H�gg innp�!" is not socially accepted .
4) Where I live there are quite a lot of small shops selling software. They have the most "important" games and in some of them you can order others which they do not have.
5) I live in Bergen, Norway's second largest city. There are about 210 000 inhabitants here (Norway has 4,5 million). It rains a lot here and everyone should have an umbrella. My house is close to a shipyard (BMV) and a church (but I'm an atheist ).
As for myself I'm about 5 years late in my university studies because of some mental illness I still suffer from to some degree . I come from a working class family, which is good and bad. Because of my problems I don't have that many friends and spend most of my free time playing computer games, surfing the 'net, reading and watching sports.
walruskkkch posted 06-18-99 04:34 PM ET
Hi! I'm Peter and I've split my life between New York(The Growing up years) and Boston(The working my butt-off years). AS far as the questions you posed, as an american one of the other people who have answered the question has covered my area too. In the US the speed limit varies for types of roads and there are few places that vary too much. In New Hampshire there used to be a law that said you could drive as fast as you thought weather conditions permitted. They had posted limits, but you could get out of any ticket if you new that. They have since changed it.
I don't recall ever wishing someone "good appetite" without saying "Bon Apetite". When you stop and think about that it does seem kind of strange.
I've got 2 pretty good stores right near where I work, If one doesn't have something the other usually does. Unless you're looking for some older or obscure titles they have them.
The only thing that I can share that is unique about the area where I live is that in the realm of US politics and the division between conservative and liberal I live in a district that is the most liberal in a state that is considered to be one of the most liberal in the entire country! The Democratic primary decides who represents us in congress. I'm from the district of Tip O'Neill and Joe Kennedy.
Got a question for you 4horses. What do you use cats and cows for in the Army? I can see dogs and horses, as well as lab animals, but cats? Cows? I really am curious(As a cat) about that!
Remaining, As always
Your faithful and obedient servant
"America is a large, friendly dog in a very small room. Everytime it wags its tail, it knocks over a chair."
-Arnold Toynbee
Valtyr posted 06-18-99 04:42 PM ET
Argh! "to" your liking, not "of" your liking! Or what?
NoMercy posted 06-18-99 05:54 PM ET
Hi,
my name is Darren, I'm 33 and work as an IT/Support manager. I've been living in New York for 6 months but was born and raised in London (UK).
I don't drive in the US but as far as the UK goes speed limits are 30 mph in built up areas and 70 mph on motorways. Everyone breaks the speed limit and you usually don't get any problems unless you drive faster than 90 mph.
We have cameras but only 1 in 6 is loaded with film (a typical crazy British situation). It actually costs the Police Force money to prosecute speeding offences because fines go to the treasury and not to reimburse the police the cost of prosecution.
SW and HW stores are too numerous to mention with prices that are astonishing compared to UK prices. e.g. Voodoo3 graphics adapter with 16 MB RAM =120 USD. In UK can only buy Voodoo2 and costs about 160 GBP!!!
I've travelled widely (but only recently) the best being the Trans Siberian railway and Prague. This year I plan to go to Chile (as long as the political situation between UK & Chile is resolved).
My question for everyone is what are your drinking laws?
I'm ok in the US (21) but the American attitude to alcohol is very draconian. In UK the age is 18 but lots of people drink underage with little enforcement.
I'n not sure but I think that it's actually illegal to give a minor in the US alcohol even in the privacy of own home. In the UK (and France) children often have a glass of wine/beer during Sunday lunch etc.
One final comment, its cheaper in New York to buy beer brewed and shipped from the UK than it is to buy the same beer in the UK.
DanS posted 06-18-99 06:58 PM ET
Hello everybody. My name is Dan (go figure). My last name is unpronounceable (try it, I dare you ) I am 25 years old and have lived in the Washington, D.C. area for 8 years, 4 as a student. Now I live in Gaithersburg, Maryland a (way too) far out suburb. I have an hour commute to work each way. I work in a downtown DC law firm as a pesticides analyst.
The posted speed limit is 55 MPH, but on I-270 between Gaithersburg and Washington, I have been going 75 MPH and have been passed on the left (the faster lane) by cops. The fact is, in Maryland they don't give a damn. In D.C. they have more important things to clean up (like murders) so you can do pretty much anything and get away with it.
There has been some controversy in DC about installing cameras to catch red light runners. I run them all the time, so I might need to practice some behavioral modification.
I will be moving into the city (downtown) on August 1 or so.
Hardware and software are bountiful here. Two Best Buys and one CompUSA within a 3-mile radius. If they don't have it at the price I want, there's always PC Connection (based in Dayton btw). You can order anything before 3 a.m. and they will deliver it around 10 a.m. the next morning--they woke me up a couple of times!
The alcohol laws here are draconian, but all the college kids had fake IDs. My alias was "Mick Simms" who didn't look anything like me. It never stopped me from getting a drink, though.
I grew up near Lancaster, Ohio, (very rural--dirt roads, Amish, etc.) and am one of eight kids. I am happily single, but all of my siblings are married. No pressure, but...
DanS posted 06-18-99 07:04 PM ET
"Do you want fries with that" is a pretty common phrase here in the US.

Valtyr posted 06-18-99 07:15 PM ET
DanS: I can pronounce Schmelzer, but the question is should it be pronounced in German or American English ?
4Horses posted 06-18-99 07:24 PM ET
Walruskkkch (Peter)-
As for the cats and cows. I've worked with cats in two capacities. One as a privately owned pet the other as a laboratory animal. Most military bases have a veterinary clinic. What the clinic provides for the military member is low cost vaccinations for their pets as well as treatment for minor problems such as eye and ear problems. The veterinary clinic also serves as the dog pound for the base. I've also worked briefly with cats that were being used to test a vaccine. And no, these cats did not endure any suffering during the test. I've euthanitized many, many unwanted and stray cats. But I never once had to put a research cat to sleep. Because they're just not used that often anymore.
The cows I worked with in Central America (Honduras, Belize, Costa Rica). Our job there was to help the locals have healthier livestock by vaccinating cattle, horses, mules, goats, and pigs against diseases and parasites. Those were the best times. Oh the stories I could tell. LOL
Dan-
I can relate with your driving woes. I used to live in Bowie, MD and had to commute 40 miles to Rockville every day.
I have friends in Gaithersburg.

Spoe posted 06-18-99 07:40 PM ET
I certainly can pronounce Schmelzer; one of my best friends S.O. is a Schmelzer.
----
From my experience in Tanzania the road from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro (and I would presume on up to Dodoma) is pretty good, largely comparable to a 2 lane highway. Ditto for the road from Dar es Salaam up to Arusha and a little ways past on the way to Dodoma. Wasn't too bad going into the Ngorongoro park or Serengetti, except for the parts washed out from the rains. Probably about equal to secondary county roads in the US.
----
About me:
Justin Stodola
26
Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Computer tech
1/2) 25 mph - 45 mph in town, depending on the type of street. 55 mph - 65 mph highway. Mainly cops with radar/laser guns.
3) Not really.
4) Pretty good. CompUSA, Best Buy, EB, a few others.
5) Hot Browns. Open faced turkey/bacon/cheese sandwich from heaven. Mmmmm-mmmm good! From the Brown Hotel in Louisville(pronounced Loo-ah-vull, slurred together), Kentucky
Ambro2000 posted 06-18-99 08:38 PM ET
Well, My name is Marcus and I'm from the south parts of Sweden called Sk�ne. I was born and raised in a small city called B�stad but later moved to �ngelholm, which is about 10km away. I�m going to start to study at a College (I hope) this year so I�ll be moving again. Probably Gothenburg (Chalmers) or Stockholm (KTH).
I think Hugo Rune has covered most of it but I�ll try and fill up the missing parts..
3) The first thing I can think of is "smaklig m�ltid" which is rather commonly used here. �Hugg in�, �Hj�lp dig sj�lv�, �Var s� god�, �Jag hoppas att det smakar� and others I can�t think of right now are also used from time to time�
4) Well, in Sweden in general you can find software quite easily. That�s not the case in �ngelholm/B�stad however. Apart from all the fashion/golf/tennis/- shops, hairdressers and restaurants there really isn�t much space left for anything else�
5) �ngelholm & B�stad are the places were old celebrities and other rich people retire here in Sweden. We have the most tennis and golf courses. In fact I only have a half-hour drive to 12 different places to play golf at (I�m probably the last person who haven�t played it yet though ), I don�t know how many places I can play Tennis at (I can�t count that far ). We have had to many Germans lately during the summer holidays. Geez I wish those people could learn to dress properly and learn some good taste while they are at it I guess that�s is all....for now. Oh yeah! The girls here actually are quite beatiful and the beaches are very often topless

Ambro2000
CarniveaN posted 06-19-99 01:13 AM ET
Hi, my name is Jan Dvorak, and I'm an alcoholic
oddly enough, my life story is simmilar to Aman's. Escaped the evil Kommunist regime in the former Czechoslovakia, lived in a concentration Camp in Austria for a year and a half, and now I reside (almost happily, damn weather) in Vancouver, Canada.
Ps - our province's Premier approval rating is a whopping 19 percent... I think it's a new record
any questions, about anything, please ask
Alphaman posted 06-19-99 06:01 AM ET
For the drinking question, here in Australia the legal age is 18. However minors can VERY often buy it from liquor stores where the sales guy just wants to make a buck.
I know this because I work in one of these joints and my boss tells me to sell to them unless they look WAY too young.
Carny - I'm curious about the language thing in Canada. Two official languages, right? Are they both used equally? Do street signs have both languages? How do you know who speaks which? Is it confusing? Which is taught in schools?
JohnIII posted 06-19-99 06:13 AM ET
"In UK can only buy Voodoo2 and costs about 160 GBP!!!"
I thought the cost �70.
John III
Ambro2000 posted 06-19-99 07:42 AM ET
They have two official languages in Finland. Swedish and the other one...
Most shops have signs in the two languages, at least in Helsinki and in other heavy Swedish speaking areas.....

We can only buy our liquer at one place here in Sweden called "system bolaget". The age to buy it is 20 and they have a excellent sortiment of quality products.(better sortiment of wine than in France ). You can of course buy it in pubs and other places of the kind and the age is 18 at those places.

Ambro2000
Frodo83 posted 06-19-99 12:20 PM ET
Hello, my name is Isaac, I'm 15 years old, and I'm a homeschooled student living in New York City, USA, where I've always lived. I work part-time in a comic-book store as a security guard, and i plan to be a pilot eventually.
Around here the driving laws are pretty strict. The speed limit is 35 mph, and you have to be 18 to drive. That's not to say that anyone actually obeys the laws. However, there are lots of cops that drive around and pull people over.
In my household, bon apetit can be translated as "Oh, don't tell me you cooked this AGAIN."
The city has excellent software stores, but I never go to any of them.
DanS posted 06-19-99 03:19 PM ET
"I can pronounce Schmelzer, but the question is should it be pronounced in German or American English"
I am truly surprised, Valtyr, since that's the overriding question. It's pronounced quite differently if you go into Cafe Schmelzer in Augsburg (sort of like shmeltzuh) or talk to anybody in Lancaster (smeltzer with a hard closing "r").
"I certainly can pronounce Schmelzer; one of my best friends S.O. is a Schmelzer."
Spoe: well, if they don't have a "t" in their last name and they know how to play euchre, we're probably related somehow. What's his/her first name and where are they originally from?
DanS posted 06-19-99 03:37 PM ET
"I can relate with your driving woes. I used to live in Bowie, MD and had to commute 40 miles to Rockville every day."
If that was around 8 a.m., I'm sure you were in a world of hurt. Luckily, I normally just take the Metro into town. It doesn't save any time, but I can sit and read the paper.
Gaithersburg is a nice place, so I'm sure your friends are happy, but I find it way too suburban. Everything is uniform and there is not much variety. If you don't have a car, you're stranded (I didn't have one for about 3 mos. and my social life seriously suffered).
Kefaed posted 06-19-99 04:18 PM ET
I'm Nick Kefauver, though for the past year I've been known as 'Ed(hence my assorted online names). I'm 15, and generally am into anything technologically related, (or for that matter, girl related ). I was born in Cincy, lived there for five years, and have been living in Loveland, OH (crappy ass suburb town) for ten years.
1) Ohwell described the traffic conditions pretty well...
2) "
3) "Enjoy your meal" is generally what I hear alot
4) I'm in the States, so software is pretty good. I'm within driving distance of three malls, each mall having at least a couple small software shops, and also there are major chain stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. around everywhere. If I can't get software there, I just order it off the net(as was the case with Smac)
5) I can't believe you didn't mention this, Ohwell... THE CHILI!!! Cincinnati has the best chili in the world, hands down. Also, the WEBN fireworks show (one of, if not the biggest fireworks show in the nation) kicks. The zoo is good, yeah. Also, Newport (right across the river on the Kentucky side) has just opened a new Aquarium this year, which was pretty cool. The sports teams are, ehh, not that great, imho. I think the stadium is a waste of tax dollars, personally. I live about 15 minutes away from a major amusement park, King's Island, home of the world's longest wooden roller coaster.
DanS posted 06-19-99 05:27 PM ET
THE BEAST!!!!
Kefaed posted 06-20-99 12:51 AM ET
Hell yeah, did you ever ride that thing after having a couple foot-long coneys? With onions? Not pleasant
Alphaman posted 06-20-99 03:01 AM ET
"The world's longest wooden roller coaster"?
Wow.
I don't like roller coasters myself, but people tell me they are fun.
JohnIII - Are you gonna share or do we have to drag it out of you? And, no, don't post about your life in a one liner.
JohnIII posted 06-20-99 03:19 AM ET
Hugo Rune posted 06-20-99 06:01 AM ET
DanS: What exactly does a pesticides analyst do? In a law firm? Sounds like something a chemist or possibly an Ecologist or Biologist would do, but a Law Student?
John: What was that all about?
JohnIII posted 06-20-99 06:03 AM ET
It's a no-liner
John III
Alphaman posted 06-20-99 08:04 AM ET
Clever.
Fine, don't share then.
Hugo Rune posted 06-20-99 08:25 AM ET
What did you do?
JohnIII posted 06-20-99 08:30 AM ET
Merely "commented" on his previous post.
John III Alphaman posted 06-20-99 09:16 AM ET
Ok.
You can stop being clever now jig posted 06-20-99 09:40 AM ET
What the fark? Hugo Rune posted 06-20-99 10:15 AM ET
Ambro2000 posted 06-20-99 10:37 AM ET

What happend in here?? Ambro2000 posted 06-20-99 10:38 AM ET

is it better now??" JohnIII

posted 06-20-99 11:15 AM ET

?
John III Hugo Rune

posted 06-20-99 11:56 AM ET

DanS

posted 06-20-99 12:37 PM ET

Let's try to fix this...
DanS	posted 06-20-99 12:37 PM ET Maybe it's better now.
DanS	posted 06-20-99 12:38 PM ET Good, let the discussion, continue.
JohnIII	posted 06-20-99 12:52 PM ET Well done Dan. A round of applause please, for DANS! John III
ZeAzIz	posted 06-20-99 12:54 PM ET oohooo
ZeAzIz	posted 06-20-99 12:57 PM ET We are the champions singing
ZeAzIz	posted 06-20-99 01:00 PM ET Is it anyone out there?
Picker	posted 06-20-99 02:19 PM ET In canada the drinking age is 19 but drinking underrage is rampant, I got drunk for the first time when I was 14.
Spoe	posted 06-20-99 02:44 PM ET DanS: "well, if they don't have a "t" in their last name and they know how to play euchre, we're probably related somehow. What's his/her first name and where are they originally from?" Never asked about originally, but as far as the states go, they're from Minnesota. Her name is Erika and her Dad is studying to become a Catholic priest(after the divorce, annulment, etc.) and used to be a professor at Eastern Kentucky University. Kafead: "Cincinnati has the best chili in the world, hands down." Matter of opinion. I prefer think, chunky, spicier than hell chili that you still taste two weeks later. Cinci chili just doesn't do it. Loveland....that's where the rail trail is right? Been up there a few times, cycling.
Kefaed	posted 06-20-99 05:27 PM ET Spoe: Yeah, it is kinda an aquired taste... I get cans of the stuff, mix in tons of pepper flakes, some tabasco, etc. to get that "two week" effect you're talking about. If you've been in loveland, I pity you... It used to be a podunk hick town, now its a podunk suburb town.... . I wish my parents never moved out of cincy....
Roland	posted 06-21-99 03:35 AM ET Roland (now you didn't guess that, right ?), Salzburg, Austria. 1) What sort of traffic speed controls are there in other countries? Fotos - and laser pistols to shoot the speeders... 2) What is the speed limit in other countries? 50 km/h in cities, 100 on the country roads and 130 on highways; for test rides, we drive 5 km across the border to germany where they have no speed limit on the highways... 3) Do they have a phrase for "good apetite" in your native language? Guten Appetit (german) Mahlzeit (Austrian/Bavarian) Moizeit (the same as Mahlzeit, just with a more local touch) An guatn ("a good one"; used mainly in the Tyrol; also: "Mander, s'isch Zeit" ~ it's time to eat) Loss da's schmeckn (enjoy) Yes, eating is quite important... 4) Do they have really good software stores in your country? Had no problems to get what I'm looking for... We have cameras but only 1 in 6 is loaded with film (a typical crazy British situation). No, we've had the same system here... My question for everyone is what are your drinking laws? Drinking laws ? What drinking laws ? We don't need such laws; we drink pretty well without them... On pronouncing "Schmelzer": no problem in german, but in english, I'm not sure...
Saras	posted 06-21-99 07:10 AM ET Sarunas (pronounced 'sharoonas'), Vilnius, Lithuania. 1) None. Yeehaa! They just stand there in the open with those funny radars, trying to look invisible. HAHAHA! 2) 60 city, 90 outside, 110 highways (130 in the summer, but the cops usually don't care until you reach 150) 3) "Skanaus", means like "may it taste good". 4) None whatsoever. Piracy or personally requested imports or mail order. 5) I live in Vilnius, I graduated a couple of days ago with a BA in Business administration. I sometimes run into the Chairman of the Central Bank when walking my dog in the morning. Drinking laws - legal age - 18, there are stores that operate 24 hours, and it is quite easy to get drunk in Lithuania. However, you could be arrested for drinking hard liquor in public.
OhWell	posted 06-21-99 07:24 AM ET Kefaed, Oh yea the Cincinnati (urp) CHILI! Goldstar and Sky Line. How could I (urp) forget that? I work right across I71 from Kings Island. I can look out the window and see the tower! Have you been to the aquarium yet? I agree about the stadium being a waste of tax money.
Alphaman	posted 06-21-99 08:44 AM ET Saras - Is Lithuania as "liberated" as the rest of East Europe? Has the free enterprise system kicked in well enough to allow you to get full benefit of the BA? Good job opportunities? JohnIII - Down with JohnIII the forum wrecker! You should be demoted for that one you punk. JohnII.
MikeH II	posted 06-21-99 10:19 AM ET I'm Mike, duh, from Reading, England, UK. Born here went to Uni in Birmingham which isn't as bad as its accent. Now I'm back in Reading which is cool. Totally epitimises the British talent for absorbing other cultures. 1) What sort of traffic speed controls are there in other countries? Here in Australia they have mobile roadside speed cameras which take a photo of your license plate if you drive past it too fast. Same as that plus we get traffic light cameras and an amazing network of CCTV cameras similar to those you get on the states. Police can track criminals across the town center without leaving the centrally heated offices. 2) What is the speed limit in other countries? Here it is 60 km/h in the suburbs and 100 on the freeway. Damn Kph. Er 30Mph on small city streets 40 on major ones. 60Mph on single lane A roads and 70Mph on duallane/motorways. 3) Do they have a phrase for "good apetite" in your native language? What I'm talking about is a phrase like "bon apetit" in french, which is something you say before a meal to the others at your table. In the english language this phrase seems to be missing ("good apetite" is NOT used at all actually) Bon apetite. That's it. 4) Do they have really good software stores in your country? Here in Australia the selection is absolutely pathetic. A few large chains and a little second hand store here and there is the only place to buy games. Yeah, it's easy to get anything really. 5) Is there anything you want to share about where you live, what you do, etc, that is unique to your neighbourhood? During the Great Plague the British parliment was based in Reading. We get two international festivals a year WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) and Reading Rock which enable Reading residents to see the full range of possible haircuts in the world.
Allod	posted 06-21-99 11:00 AM ET Pronounciation? Ahh, my favourite. Any non-German-speaker here who dares to pronounce "Smretschnig"? Too bad there's no ActiveVoice-plug-in here... Aman: "lived for a period in a mass concentration camp in Austria"..."If you have any questions about any of those countries or anything else, feel free to post." Yeah, tell me something about Austria. I've always been fascinated by the country.
Roland	posted 06-21-99 11:24 AM ET "lived for a period in a mass concentration camp in Austria" Hmm... Durchgangslager Traisenkirchen ? (Hope I didn't confuse anything here). "Smretschnig" ? Long live Travnicek! A slavic background could help here as well...
Alphaman	posted 06-21-99 11:49 AM ET Roland - Thats the one. Traisenkirchen. Its the biggest asshole of a place on the face of the earth. Lived in that pit of disease for about a year. Danke Austria, for the wonderful accommodation. How do you know about that place? Allod - Despite my and my family's treatment in Austria, I hold nothing against the people. Once we managed to get out of the death camp mentioned above, we were able to roam free in Vienna. Best damn place I ever been to in my life. Honest. I was only a little kid at the time and I don't remember much but I do know that the place was about a million times better than Budapest, where I come from. I have relatives in Austria as well. A few of my mother's siblings who were smart and headed into Austria in the late 70's, when the border guards were a bit more easy going. I will definitely pay them a visit one day. As I remember it, Austria is the home of tasty treats for little kids. Nutella, Kinder chocolate eggs, those delicious chocolate sea shells. Yumm. Now you can get those anywhere (even here in Australia) but its not the same. The only place I would rather live in than Austria is Luxemburg. My ambition is to join the Diplomatic Corps here in Australia and be posted to the Consulate in Austria. I knew how to speak German (once) fully. It would take me a few months to recap and be back to full strength on my language skills. But regardless of whether I get into the Corps, I will re-learn German anyway. When I have the time and the inclination. Then, if I make enough money, I'm off to your neck of the woods buddy. Anything else, Allod the Austrian?
Roland	posted 06-21-99 11:57 AM ET Aman, Traisenkirchen has been the central camp for refugees. So it isn't hard to guess... I'm just a bit surprised that you had to stay there for a year, it's intended just for a short time... when was it ? 1980 or so ?
Alphaman	posted 06-21-99 12:05 PM ET Short time? Ahahahhahaaa. No my friend. Its for a short time only if you have enough money to support yourself on the outside. And being foreign scum in Austria is not helpful to your employment propects. You are in Austria until you get accepted by a country. That took a while for us. And at least staying in the camp was free. So we rotted in there for quite a while. Only toward the end did my dad manage to get a decent job through a friend and we were able to get the hell out and move to Vienna. We moved in 86-87.
Roland	posted 06-21-99 12:14 PM ET 1986/87 ? Hmm... you mentioned having to wait for acceptance from another country. Did your family apply for asylum or residence in Austria ?
sandworm	posted 06-21-99 12:18 PM ET Here in the US we use the English system of measurement, consequently our speed limit is in miles per hour. Please note that the English system of measurement is totally f****d up, and the English were smart enough to stop using it years ago. However, US congressmen are too stupid to understand the metric system, so we're stuck with it. Our speed limit is 65, our beer sucks in general with the exception of some local microbrews (Murphy's and Warsteiner are my latest favorite imports), and we apparently like to shoot each other with large caliber handguns at the slightest provocation. BTW, don't EVER speed in Pennsylvania, the fines are ridiculous. Software stores - Best Buy, CompUSA are good here in central Ohio, we have others, like EB, but they rarely run sales and are more expensive to begin with. I rarely do more than grunt before I eat, I'm a barbarian, really.
Saras	posted 06-21-99 12:18 PM ET Alphaman - 80% GDP is produced in the private sector, most significant assets are privatised, except for electricity, oil refining, gas transport, roads, schools, hospitals, railroads and government buildings. So yes, we're pretty much there... BUT the employers pay 33% social security, employees pay 29% income and 1% social security plus there is a 18% VAT plus excise on tobacco, gasoline and alcohol. Bloody socialists disguised as "Conservative party".
Alphaman	posted 06-21-99 01:16 PM ET Saras - you thought of moving to the US or something. Lot more job opps. (Unless you already have something good going of course) Roland - We got the hell out because Austria was too close to the Commies. Toward the end (I think) the Austrians had a deal going with the Eastern Bloc to boot all the refugees back home. As far as I'm aware, residence in Austria was not an option for us.
Spoe	posted 06-21-99 03:30 PM ET "...and the English were smart enough to stop using it years ago." Did they now. Look up a little at Mike's post and you'll see speed limits in MPH.
Roland	posted 06-22-99 03:10 AM ET Toward the end (I think) the Austrians had a deal going with the Eastern Bloc to boot all the refugees back home. As far as I'm aware, residence in Austria was not an option for us. With the iron curtain in place, there have been quite few refugees. The whole tightening of immigration and asylum laws came in 1992; in 1990/91, we had about 100,000+ immigrants per year. I'm not aware of such a deal with Hungary etc... it might just be that with the stated intention of moving on to another country, your family had problems getting residence (if they applied for it at all). Anyway, glad you like the country despite Traisenkirchen...
jig	posted 06-22-99 04:57 AM ET Well, you know me as jig but my real name is Kevin, with an unpronounceable family name. I was born in Burma but I've been living in Australia since 1993. I had my 11th birthday one month after I arrived in Australia. So yeah. Any questions?
MikeH II	posted 06-22-99 05:15 AM ET Spoe: Officially we stopped using it years ago but speed limits are still in Mph. I think it's just to annoy the French. Mind you if we actually changed all the signs I can see people thundering down the motorways at 120Mph. What am I talking about they do that anyway.
Alphaman	posted 06-22-99 07:03 AM ET Roland - Yeh, the country is great. I wont hold a little thing like making my life a living hell against anyone. Seriously, once we got to Vienna, the people were a lot more 'normal' to us, even though we were still foreigners and they hated us. At least they were civilised enough not to show it. jig - where in Australia are you? Sydney?
jig	posted 06-22-99 05:51 PM ET Yeppers. jig king of one word posts

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