An American's View of England


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Having grown up in the UK I would agree with most of what he says.  as an immigrant to Canada and then the US I have always made a point of saying little about living and working in the UK.   I don't want to open mysef to the likely, 'If it's so good there why don't you go back?'

 

I've always found the natives very friendly and mostly they will go out of their way to help you.  It's unfotunate that the country as a whole has a bad habit of getting into foreign wars.  The American people are not that way.  They prefer to be popular.   They can be very blunt, they don't mean any harm its just the way they are.

 

If I was ever alone again I'd go back to the foothills of the Rockies in Canada.  I regard Canada as my truly adopted home.  Lovely, quiet well mannered folks for the most part.  Wide open spaces and lots of wildlife.. 

In the meantime the deep south will do.  It's almost like a different country here anyway.  Even got it's own dialect ya'll.

 

Sorry for long post.  This is a very interesting issue to me.

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Must say i would love to have been to certain parts of the states......what i know of America i like,,,we grew up mainly with American films,,Music and TV shows.....the very few Americans ive met have all been very nice......,,understand they still have miles, yards ,feet and inches   but whats a BLOC ?

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Why change measurements when they have worked for centuries Ben?? I subscribe to several wood working magazines, including one pro wood workers magazine. A Canadian wood worker, self employed says he prefers imperial over metric every time, and he was brought up on metric in Canada.

Made many friends over here, and "fitted in" perfectly with the locals around me. I live in a fairly remote rural setting and was told by someone who was born in this area and now lives in a big city, that "outsiders" usually had their houses burned down when the moved in around these parts.

One of my neighbors asked me if he could mow my fields. I have 80 acres and have been pretty busy over the last year, so I said sure, be my guest. Cost me nothing.

 

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I might also add, living in a rural community, one has to get used to hearing guns being used, always someone getting a little target practice in.. Mind I get nervous during hunting season when "city slickers" are around shoot guns, many have no idea about firearm safety! 

But on the whole, crime is so low that all you hear on the local radio is Joe Public got arrested for driving 10mph over the speed limit, etc...

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Well that depends on how big the block is Ben, we don't have blocks here in rural America, you only find them in towns and cities.

 

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Yes Ayup...........but how far is a BLOC.....?

 

Edit,, thanks John,,just seen your answer.........so you don't know ?..............lol

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I know, but it varies, turn left at the next street, then left again, then left again, that's a block, could be 100ft, by 200ft, by 100ft back to point one, or it could be half a mile by a mile by half a mile back to point one. Depends on how far the streets are spaced.

I recall as a kid in St Anns, we'd race around the block, Pym St, along Turner St, down Alfred St South, up Bluebell hill, then down Pym St, must have been a mile that block.

 

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I know really Loppy and Ayup........just always struck me as odd,,the way its used in everyday conversation,,, An American lady once asked me for directions on the Tube in London,,,,,after telling her........''we don't make conversation usually on the tube'' told her where she wanted was ''Two blocks'' on exiting the station'''...........she told me in a lovely accent........''oh gee, i think you are so wonderful''.........loved it, bless her.......

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  • 2 weeks later...

Referring to the original post: The American says (Near the bottom of his list) that if you are 60 you get free TV. In fact you have to wait until you are 75 to qualify for the free TV licence.

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Yep, and you also have to buy your own TV set.. but apart from that the original article is a very affectionate, humorous and largely accurate view of we Brits.

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This article is a bit dated, I'd say around 10 years old, dated by Bush is an idiot and mention of Ovomit, I'd say around the time when Ovomit was first "appointed".

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