We don't mind, as we know that immigrants are good for the economy. They are a measurable benefit to the host country.
See - if you eschew thinking from emotion and actually look at the numbers, you get to see what is actually a benefit, instead of simply hoping that your gut feelings miraculously align with reality.
You're the only one who's equating culture with old buildings! London has some of the best museums and galleries in the world, including:
Tate Tate Modern Natural History Museum Science Museum Victoria & Albert British Museum National Gallery National Maritime Museum Imperial War Museum British Library
(most of which are free to enter) and not to mention the performance spaces from the Barbican, Royal Albert Hall, to the venues in Camden and across London. London has dozens of orchestras - limiting it to just symphony orchestras (which is what I presume you meant by "symphony") is skewing your perception massively. Let's not also forget it's where the Beatles, Stones, Clash, Queen, Hendrix, Handel (the last two lived next door to each other, centuries apart) and countless other bands, artists and composers lived and recorded their music.
And the literature! This is where Dickens wrote his works, where Shakespeare performed his plays (which you can still see performed in the original language, in an accurate reconstruction of a period theatre), where Karl Marx wrote Das Kapital, Orwell wrote Animal Farm, and Wells wrote War of the Worlds, to name just a few. Oh, and the King James Bible was completed in London.
Let's not forget the scientific discoveries! Hosting the Royal Society (founded in 1660), London has had plenty of scientific discoveries. The first mechanical computer was built there, penicillin, epidemiology, and countless other things were discovered there. The list of influential scientists and their discoveries is simply too great to list here. And there is Kew Gardens, one of the world's foremost botanical institutes.
And then there are the studios where plenty of amazing films have been made. The outskirts of London is where the original Star Wars films were made, where the Indiana Jones films were filmed, Harry Potter, James Bond, and so on.
Of course if you are interested in old architecture, parts of London date back to the Roman era, including the City of London itself. There are 1800-year-old walls still standing. The Tower of London, including the White Tower from where William the Conqueror ruled, are world-class heritage sites. Then there are the other palaces (Westminster, Buckingham, Hampton Court, Kensington, Kew, St. James, etc.) which are amazing.
This is just scratching the surface. Thinking London's only cultural artifacts are its buildings is doing yourself, and your argument, a great disservice.
Berlin is a highly cosmopolitan city, and many Germans are absolutely thrilled to be able to practice their English with a native speaker. Most people aren't as concerned with language as you seem to think they are - a conversation is a conversation regardless of the language and the country in which it is held.
And many people would say the same about your choice of location. Not everyone's the same. Surely you appreciate that some people like the nearly-endless possibilities of living in a global capital city, just as I can appreciate living in a place such as you describe (yet would not want to live there).
And if you got your list, what would that mean to you? It tells you nothing of the people who invented them (or where they are from), or where the precursor work was performed (and also by whom). It seems like an entirely vacuous thing to want to know.
It's not that people don't like it, but because it's simply not true, and doesn't matter a fucking bit. Sure, you can find areas where there are Indian communities, but to somehow forget the vast white majority is incredibly telling. You're also forgetting the fact that there wouldn't be a London of the size and influence there is without the immigrants. After WWII they were the ones who moved to the city and rebuilt it. Now that's done, kind souls like you are more than prepared to tell them to fuck off and view them as some sort of undesirable element. You really don't know your history.
The majority of CCTV is privately-owned and governed by the Data Protection Act of 1998. Disciplining your children by hitting them is illegal, as it's the last act of desperate, shitty parents. Kids can of course have genital problems - you are just making that up, obviously. It is a good place to live if you are a minority, as it's a very progressive place that doesn't give a shit about such petty bullshit. The Metropolitan Police and armed forces marching in the gay pride parade (in uniform, and officially sanctioned) is a good example of that.
The most common language of London is English (according to the 2011 census 77.9% speak it as their first language), but I guess that doesn't fit in to your "Polish invasion" narrative. Only ~1.9% of Londoners speak Polish as their first language, and many of those speak English.
But it seems you're not really interested in painting a more accurate picture of London...
They're not talking about a "fresh perspective", but working in a city with amazing infrastructure, which is the financial capital of the world, in the EU (for now:)), and in a great timezone whose business day overlaps with that of the US east coast and many Asian markets. All those things are simply not available in Africa, Latin America, or Asia. What you are saying, regardless of how accurate it is, has very little to do with this discussion:)
Easy! Most Germans speak great English, and you can pick up enough German to get through your daily life in quite a short time. Even if the person you're talking to doesn't speak English, the overlap of the two languages is vast, and so with some gesticulation and slow-talking you can hold a conversation with neither of you speaking the same language. You might have problems dealing with contracts and so on, but if you know someone who can help you out with that, then you're golden.
Don't assume so much! It's how the London Underground is organised. Of course there are areas of London, but as there are so many of them, zones are used when describing distance from the centre. You can see them in this map. The area in the middle is Zone 1, and they extend outwards.
You just made that up. Seriously. You start talking about web projects, then move seamlessly to datacenters while attempting to make the same point. Web projects are not datacenters.
Slashdot Mirror
We don't mind, as we know that immigrants are good for the economy. They are a measurable benefit to the host country.
See - if you eschew thinking from emotion and actually look at the numbers, you get to see what is actually a benefit, instead of simply hoping that your gut feelings miraculously align with reality.
Now you've left the world entirely. Incredible. No wonder you believe such nonsense if that's the fruit of your intellect.
Religiophobia is a fear of religions, not of possible adherents of a particular one. Xenophobia is the correct word in this case.
You're the only one who's equating culture with old buildings! London has some of the best museums and galleries in the world, including:
Tate
Tate Modern
Natural History Museum
Science Museum
Victoria & Albert
British Museum
National Gallery
National Maritime Museum
Imperial War Museum
British Library
(most of which are free to enter) and not to mention the performance spaces from the Barbican, Royal Albert Hall, to the venues in Camden and across London. London has dozens of orchestras - limiting it to just symphony orchestras (which is what I presume you meant by "symphony") is skewing your perception massively. Let's not also forget it's where the Beatles, Stones, Clash, Queen, Hendrix, Handel (the last two lived next door to each other, centuries apart) and countless other bands, artists and composers lived and recorded their music.
And the literature! This is where Dickens wrote his works, where Shakespeare performed his plays (which you can still see performed in the original language, in an accurate reconstruction of a period theatre), where Karl Marx wrote Das Kapital, Orwell wrote Animal Farm, and Wells wrote War of the Worlds, to name just a few. Oh, and the King James Bible was completed in London.
Let's not forget the scientific discoveries! Hosting the Royal Society (founded in 1660), London has had plenty of scientific discoveries. The first mechanical computer was built there, penicillin, epidemiology, and countless other things were discovered there. The list of influential scientists and their discoveries is simply too great to list here. And there is Kew Gardens, one of the world's foremost botanical institutes.
And then there are the studios where plenty of amazing films have been made. The outskirts of London is where the original Star Wars films were made, where the Indiana Jones films were filmed, Harry Potter, James Bond, and so on.
Of course if you are interested in old architecture, parts of London date back to the Roman era, including the City of London itself. There are 1800-year-old walls still standing. The Tower of London, including the White Tower from where William the Conqueror ruled, are world-class heritage sites. Then there are the other palaces (Westminster, Buckingham, Hampton Court, Kensington, Kew, St. James, etc.) which are amazing.
This is just scratching the surface. Thinking London's only cultural artifacts are its buildings is doing yourself, and your argument, a great disservice.
How does Silcon Valley compare to that? :)
Berlin is a highly cosmopolitan city, and many Germans are absolutely thrilled to be able to practice their English with a native speaker. Most people aren't as concerned with language as you seem to think they are - a conversation is a conversation regardless of the language and the country in which it is held.
Are you really judging the investment climate in London based on Dragon's Den? I thought you were more clever than that :)
And many people would say the same about your choice of location. Not everyone's the same. Surely you appreciate that some people like the nearly-endless possibilities of living in a global capital city, just as I can appreciate living in a place such as you describe (yet would not want to live there).
And if you got your list, what would that mean to you? It tells you nothing of the people who invented them (or where they are from), or where the precursor work was performed (and also by whom). It seems like an entirely vacuous thing to want to know.
It's not that people don't like it, but because it's simply not true, and doesn't matter a fucking bit. Sure, you can find areas where there are Indian communities, but to somehow forget the vast white majority is incredibly telling. You're also forgetting the fact that there wouldn't be a London of the size and influence there is without the immigrants. After WWII they were the ones who moved to the city and rebuilt it. Now that's done, kind souls like you are more than prepared to tell them to fuck off and view them as some sort of undesirable element. You really don't know your history.
Paris is bedraggled because of poverty, not immigration. Throwing that one in there isn't going to help you make your argument :)
It's based on his history of xenophobic posts, mainly targeting Muslims. It was an honest question - I really am interested in learning.
The majority of CCTV is privately-owned and governed by the Data Protection Act of 1998. Disciplining your children by hitting them is illegal, as it's the last act of desperate, shitty parents. Kids can of course have genital problems - you are just making that up, obviously. It is a good place to live if you are a minority, as it's a very progressive place that doesn't give a shit about such petty bullshit. The Metropolitan Police and armed forces marching in the gay pride parade (in uniform, and officially sanctioned) is a good example of that.
The most common language of London is English (according to the 2011 census 77.9% speak it as their first language), but I guess that doesn't fit in to your "Polish invasion" narrative. Only ~1.9% of Londoners speak Polish as their first language, and many of those speak English.
But it seems you're not really interested in painting a more accurate picture of London...
They're not talking about a "fresh perspective", but working in a city with amazing infrastructure, which is the financial capital of the world, in the EU (for now :)), and in a great timezone whose business day overlaps with that of the US east coast and many Asian markets. All those things are simply not available in Africa, Latin America, or Asia. What you are saying, regardless of how accurate it is, has very little to do with this discussion :)
I know it's fun to bash English cooking, but there are some seriously awesome things to eat down there.
Easy! Most Germans speak great English, and you can pick up enough German to get through your daily life in quite a short time. Even if the person you're talking to doesn't speak English, the overlap of the two languages is vast, and so with some gesticulation and slow-talking you can hold a conversation with neither of you speaking the same language. You might have problems dealing with contracts and so on, but if you know someone who can help you out with that, then you're golden.
Grow up, you tragic scared little man. Your horrific attitude is why you're single.
Don't assume so much! It's how the London Underground is organised. Of course there are areas of London, but as there are so many of them, zones are used when describing distance from the centre. You can see them in this map. The area in the middle is Zone 1, and they extend outwards.
50 minutes? Fuck that noise. If your time means so little to you, you've already lost.
Is London where you developed or discovered your xenophobic streak, or did that happen after you moved to the countryside?
Lighten up, Francis. To normal people "any price" translates to "any justifiable price", at least in this usage.
It sounds like you are making work for yourself, and then complaining about said work...
You just made that up. Seriously. You start talking about web projects, then move seamlessly to datacenters while attempting to make the same point. Web projects are not datacenters.
Whereas your name speaks accurately of you.
"Just look it up" - spoken like a true idiot. Stay at home - leave the rest of the world for people who grew up.
Which may or may not have had much to do with regulation... Correlation != causation etc.