life in usa

[ajx]

hello, i am Dany and come from france
i had always a good opinion about you and your own country

being in ignorance, most of us exagerate or being unaware of your habits either
it may sound "cliché" but i sometimes imagine what life could be there and remind american series and movies

is ur country nice?
how much cost life there?
laws and human rights?

you are definetaly the N1 for making series and films, stop release series anymore we wont have time to watch each of them

[ajx]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cACZc6gYi9s
ahaha, french sarcatic humor about usa

[keyboardlover]

is ur country nice?
how much cost life there?
laws and human rights?

Hi Dany, although I'm American I've traveled a lot, especially in Europe (incl. France) and I can say that without a doubt America is a nice country with an excellent standard of living. Regarding human rights, I think that we have one of the highest standards, which is mostly set in place because of our laws. People from other countries sometimes find our laws more restrictive, but it's because of these laws that we have such a high standard of living. As for cost of living, that varies from place to place however from the research I've done it tends to be a lower cost of living when compared with most of Europe. It's also important to note that salaries here tend to be higher too, and the way Americans live and spend money is VERY different than Europeans.

I definitely think that you should come visit here in some capacity, to fulfill your curiosity (for vacation, study, work, whatever). I have met many nice French people working and studying here and overall they have really liked it.

[ajx]

actual exchange rate between eur and usd tends to favour us
i may visit prolly soon you country as tourist
NY sounds me as awesome city to visit
regarding airport rules, my former teacher related an interesting story
he has been under arrest though policemans and airport staffs
they questioned him as guilty
where do you come from?
where do you exactly go?
why are you here (usa)?
what's ur job?
who invit you and where does he work? (he been invited by his friend american collegue)

he had to prove precisely where he intended to go
i was planing to get a work placement in usa, i ve been a little bit afraid

[ajx]

actual exchange rate between eur and usd tends to favour us
i may visit prolly soon you country as tourist
NY sounds me as awesome  
regarding airport rules, my former teacher related an interesting story
he has been under arrest though policemans and airport staffs
they questioned him as guilty
where do you come from?
where do you exactly go?
why are you here (usa)?
what's ur job?
who invit you and where does he work? (he been invited by his friend american collegue)

he had to prove precisely where he intended to go
i was planing to get a work placement in usa, i ve been a little bit afraid

[ajx]

We're rather fond of that.  Too bad France can't realize they are no longer a World Power.

it's a sarcatic video clip from Guignols, a kind of Muppet's Show
they are well-known for being on the left wing of politic ideas
(french president is one of most hated and caricatured puppet)

well, i recognized we miss a lack of informations
medias and papers only ve been interest to Obama and news relating wars and conflicts

[keyboardlover]

The only incidents I've heard of were where folks didn't get their visa squared away before they came here, so make sure you're careful and get your visa before you come. Other then that, I've never heard of anyone having a problem coming here. If you come without a visa and proper documentation however, they are strict about not letting you in the country. Understandable of course, when you consider the threat of terrorism.

[chimera15]

I tried to go to France, but the country was on strike.  The entire country was shut down.  Ruined my vacation.  I went to Greece instead, and nearly died when the ferry I was on caught fire in a storm in the Med at night.  In Greece I witnessed an exorcism in a Church in the Plaka.

That trip made me never want to travel again, so I guess I can be thankful to France for something.

[ajx]

I tried to go to France, but the country was on strike.

if i recognize one thing, we r a bit grumpy, we go on strike for anything
while goverment is submitting any new laws / rules, they r against for
trains screw / education /  salary / retirement plans...
may be on strike during 2/3 months per year
its awfull but guess what, we r country of human rights but also of human whining :embarassed:

[Parak]

Is not terrible. Prefer slightly to motherland, despite capitalist pigland. Maybe Iceland or Canada next - climate same as motherland.

[MissileMike]

I will always forgive France for whatever they do because of Julie Delpy.

Both those movies are pretty decent, but she's too skinny!

[quadibloc]

Is not terrible. Prefer slightly to motherland, despite capitalist pigland. Maybe Iceland or Canada next - climate same as motherland.

Да! Так климат здесь, как у вашей Родины!

Although, even here in Edmonton, we're actually having temperatures above freezing - in January! That's hardly Siberian weather for you!

[Daniel Beaver]

Travel here, look around, form your own opinion. Don't tell people that you're French, because for some reason people have some irrational dislike of the French. Or, you could come to Puerto Rico first. We're the random colony. We have better weather.

The USA varies enormously based on what part of the country you're in. The north/south divide is the main cultural rift, but there are also a lot of differences between the sub-regions and states.

I myself have only spent a week in Europe, divided between London, Paris, and Rome. It wasn't really enough time to get to know the place. I loved Paris, though you people really need to do something about the damn cigarette butts littering the ground everywhere.


EDIT: I just showed this thread to my father, who is much more well traveled than I am (having been to most corners of the earth, East Asia and Australia being the major exception). Last time he was in France was about 10 years ago. His opinions, paraphrased:

is ur country nice?

For the most part, yes. European cities are the nicest in the world, according to him. American cities are fairly nice. Most cities in the world are dirty and filled with poverty (there are, of course, exceptions. ).
One thing America has that is somewhat rare in Europe: true wilderness, and untamed outdoors.

how much cost life there?

Similar to Europe. Very high compared to most of the world. But then, we make a lot of money too.

laws and human rights?

Comparable to Europe, and much better than the rest of the world. Our labor laws have slipped behind Europe, but they're still superior to most of the world. The police are very well funded and vigilant. Crime levels are somewhat higher than Europe, and you need to be somewhat vigilant in large cities. It's not something you really have to worry about, though.

Other quirks he mentioned:
Americans own a lot of stuff
Everyone has a car, everyone drives everywhere
The food is basically the worst in the world
Americans tend to wake up earlier and go to sleep earlier than other peoples (6am to 10pm is common)
Americans are much less hospitable about letting people they don't know well into their homes
Americans tend to exhibit a lot more tolerance towards minorities than other peoples (which I myself thought was odd, but my father insists is mostly true)
And finally, Americans are a lot like everyone else in the world. There are more similarities than differences.

/EDIT

[bugfix]

some irrational dislike of the French.

Ha!

[Trippy]

I like living in the U.S it has it's ups and downs but I'm always kept busy.

[keyboardlover]

I disagree that cost of living here tends to be higher than most other countries. In my research I've found the opposite to be true.

[bugfix]

I disagree that cost of living here tends to be higher than most other countries. In my research I've found the opposite to be true.

True. It's ridiculous when Americans complain about $4 gas prices.

[keyboardlover]

I was close to moving to Germany at one point actually, and I interviewed for a job in Berlin. I did as much research comparing cost of living differences as I could and the results were a bit...disappointing. I'm glad I stayed here, as much as I love Europe. Still love it for vacations though!

[sixty]

True. It's ridiculous when Americans complain about $4 gas prices.

Haha, indeed.

Or how about some 19% VAT? Anyone?!

[chimera15]

True. It's ridiculous when Americans complain about $4 gas prices.

Considering that when my parents grew up gas was never more than 20 cents or so, and when I grew up it was never more than $1 for a decade or more.  $4 for most of us is ridiculous.   We have our own oil and gas unlike most of the world, and most of the cost of it now is because of over regulation, taxes, insane markup, and the fact that oil began trading on the stock market as a commodity which is driving the price up for no good reason.  

Gas in Saudi Arabia is $.78 cents, and Venezuela, still .17.

[keyboardlover]

Pro tip: Don't argue markup with Europeans. They have VAT tax =)

[HaaTa]

Gasoline prices in Canada are 1/3 taxes...

[godly_music]

Cost of living in Norway is killer. They try to lure you in with cheap housing and BAM.

[bugfix]

Cost of living in Norway is killer. They try to lure you in with cheap housing and BAM.

Especially alcohol...

[Ekaros]

Nordic welfare countries...

But hey free education is nice, acctualy they pay for you to study... So I'm not complaining atleast for now...

[Keymonger]

[bugfix]

It is. Wish I could live there one day.

[mike]

We're rather fond of that.  Too bad France can't realize they are no longer a World Power.

I'm not sure you can call a country whose military spending is the third highest in the world, and is a nuclear power anything other than a world power.

[Daniel Beaver]

I'm not sure you can call a country whose military spending is the third highest in the world, and is a nuclear power anything other than a world power.

Americans like to think they're the only ones who matter.

[panda-R]

IN USA, you can marry your cousin, happy time!

[panda-R]

Panda-R.

Long time no see!

Have you ever seen a naked Japanese Panda eraser?   It's kinda disturbing.

hi buddy, i miss u. Unfortunately I am kinda busy to troll these days but once I find that spare time again to troll like i've never trolled before.

that picture is very disturbing and cute.

[quadibloc]

Considering that when my parents grew up gas was never more than 20 cents or so, and when I grew up it was never more than $1 for a decade or more.  $4 for most of us is ridiculous.   We have our own oil and gas unlike most of the world, and most of the cost of it now is because of over regulation, taxes, insane markup, and the fact that oil began trading on the stock market as a commodity which is driving the price up for no good reason.  

Gas in Saudi Arabia is $.78 cents, and Venezuela, still .17.

There are two things, though, to understand.

The United States does not produce all the gasoline that it needs. It has to import some from other countries. And, naturally, they will sell their oil for what it is worth.

And when it comes to domestic producers, it is also unfair to make them sell their oil for less than its true value, as determined by the free market.

Now, if back in 1973, it had been possible to take hold of Sa'udi Arabia, and the other OPEC countries, and prevent them from breaking the oil concession agreements they had made - but this was before the fall of the Soviet Union, and, thus, they were able to hide behind Russia's skirts.

To return to normal oil prices, it would be necessary to ensure that all needed suppliers lowered their prices - if oil consumption is such that production from a high-priced source can't be ignored, then oil prices will reflect that: they will rise to the point that oil comes from that source as well as all the others.

So, just force the Arab oil producers to sell their oil on the market at a price just barely above the cost of production - since, obviously, those countries don't need to spend any money on a military; they'd just use it to attack our friend Israel - and everyone else who produced oil would end up lowering their prices, because their small individual production isn't enough to control the price.

But the U.S. is magnanimously refraining from such a thing, and is respecting the Arab world's ownership of its oil. Unlike Cuba's "ownership" of its nickel, that it stole from an American company the same way the Arabs stole their oil from British and French companies.

[panda-R]

There are two things, though, to understand.

The United States does not produce all the gasoline that it needs. It has to import some from other countries. And, naturally, they will sell their oil for what it is worth.

And when it comes to domestic producers, it is also unfair to make them sell their oil for less than its true value, as determined by the free market.

Now, if back in 1973, it had been possible to take hold of Sa'udi Arabia, and the other OPEC countries, and prevent them from breaking the oil concession agreements they had made - but this was before the fall of the Soviet Union, and, thus, they were able to hide behind Russia's skirts.

To return to normal oil prices, it would be necessary to ensure that all needed suppliers lowered their prices - if oil consumption is such that production from a high-priced source can't be ignored, then oil prices will reflect that: they will rise to the point that oil comes from that source as well as all the others.

So, just force the Arab oil producers to sell their oil on the market at a price just barely above the cost of production - since, obviously, those countries don't need to spend any money on a military; they'd just use it to attack our friend Israel - and everyone else who produced oil would end up lowering their prices, because their small individual production isn't enough to control the price.

But the U.S. is magnanimously refraining from such a thing, and is respecting the Arab world's ownership of its oil. Unlike Cuba's "ownership" of its nickel, that it stole from an American company the same way the Arabs stole their oil from British and French companies.

true to your albertan roots!

[quadibloc]

Thinking of the United States...

In some ways, it is ahead of other countries in human rights, in that freedom of speech and religion are more solidly protected. In many areas, people also have greater rights of self-defense than in most other Western industrialized countries.

However, in some American states, it is still true that abuse of power by local officials, such as the police, is not as rare as it is in other OECD nations. Also, there is a wide variation in the laws from one state to another. The basic criminal law is enacted by the individual states, which is unlike almost any other country in the world.

This is a result of certain aspects of the American political system that, in good times, protect individual freedom in some aspects less well than is the case in Continental Europe or the other countries of the English-speaking world - because this is the price paid for a system that is more robust against a collapse, a takeover by a dictator, than the political system of these countries.

Americans still do not have a national health-care system, because Obama is not the House majority leader in addition to being President. Or, rather, because he is not the House majority leader instead of being President, the President being a figurehead, and the Senate a body that rubber-stamps whatever the House passes.

The United States uses the "checks and balances" system instead of the Parliamentary system of "responsible government".

In America, Senators and Representatives who get re-elected often enough rise to the top of committees, and can direct pork to their states or districts. So incumbents tend to be re-elected, even if they dare to vote for things their constituents do not like.

In Canada, when tax dollars are misdirected for political purposes, it is at the will of the leader of the governing party, to get more of its members returned in the next election. Which gets the rest of the country mad at him. Patronage, unlike pork-barrel politics, at least has negative feedback keeping it, potentially, within limits. This breaks down somewhat in Canada, though, because we are a divided country containing Quebec.

[panda-R]

quebec is alright, they have the hot ladies that don't shave their armpits.

[Twitchy]

I have it on good authority that the Queen likes to vajazzle.

[keyboardlover]

I have it on good authority that the Queen likes to vajazzle.

Is that a British verb like "snogging" or "dogging"? I don't know what "vajazzling" means but it sounds fun!

[Twitchy]

The Queen vajazzles her vajayjay before she goes dogging

[keyboardlover]

Oh dear...right...

Tally ho then!

[Daniel Beaver]

Hairy Beavers all OVER Canada.