I'm not so sure about this. I've flown both in Europe and the US and the attitude of Europe is much more strict with regards to mobile phones. You usually have to turn off your phone as you get on the plane, and there's usually an announcement after landing stating "Please remain seated until the plane arrives at the gate and do not turn on your phone until well inside the terminal building". Also most European airlines will not let you operate a mobile during the flight even in flight mode.
Contrast this with the US where you can use your phone up until the plane gets to the runway and again as soon as the plane is taxiing to the gate. I'm not sure whether Europe is just being extra safe, or the US cellphone networks have lobbied the FAA to allow calls up until the exact limits of what is safe - it's just an observation.
I've never understood the logic behind the American way of writing dates. I'm not trying to troll here, it just seems illogical to me.
Here at my office we use both the European and International numerican dates forms, depending on the sitation:
European: DD/MM/YYYY
International: YYYY/MM/DD
As you can the units of time (days, months, years) ascend or descend in order e.g. in the European format you go from the smallest unit (days) through the midsized (months) up to the largest (years). In the International format the same descends from largest first.
But with the American format you start with the month, then go to the smallest, then to the largest. It just seems totally illogical to me, anyone know why it's done that way?
You know I'd normally agree with you, but the issue isn't quite as clear cut as "Britain holds onto Ireland". A large quantity of people who live in NI want to remain British, while another large quantity don't. If everyone in NI wanted to be Irish we'd solve the problem tomorrow, but the Government won't turn it's back on the 1000s of NI citizens who wish to remain British and that's a good thing - the right to self determination is A Good Thing.
And to be frank, what the IRA stands for was nothing to do with my OP. Violent terrorism is wrong in ALL cases (and yes, I know most countries have been guilty of it too, just look at our illegal invasion of Iraq). England has given up the vast vast majority of its former colonies and the general feeling is that that is a good thing. I'm more for us putting our political weight and power into the EU than forcibly taking over other countries. If only America was thinking along the same lines instead of creating a group of vassal states in the middle east? Oh and last time Puerto Rico was a US colon^H^H^H^H^H protectorate.
I couldn't agree more. I'm a Brit and our Government has recently ratified an extradition treaty with the USA. It's meant to be a mutual two way thing to help prevent everyone's favourite buzzword terrorism. Except the USA didn't ratify the bill, it's still pending. The USA has extradited a number of UK citizens (including a computer hacker)using the UK ratified treaty, but we can't extradite the USA citizens who we suspect of supporting the IRA (who commited terrorist acts on the British mainland) who SHOULD stand trial.
The hypocrasy and general one sided "we're the best, do as we say not as we do" attitude of the US Government stinks to high heaven, and the UK Government really needs to grow a pair and stand up to the one sided "special relationship" we supposeldly have with the USA.
It's reference to a South Park episode in which Mr(s) Garrison is forced to teach evolution in his classroom. He doesn't agree with the theory so teaches is very badly, implying that a mutated fish frog had sex with a squirrel which gave birth to humanity. This is all until Richard Dawkins starts teaching at the school, and because Mrs Garrison fancies him, he end up renouncing God so Richard will sleep with him. There's also the whole thread about Carman freezing himself until the Wii is released, only to end up being frozen til the 25th Century in a hilarious Buck Rogers satire. It's actually a really good episode
My passport (do you even have one?) say "British Citizen". I can vote, run for election myself, and say what I want against the queen without fear of the Government. I believe thats free speech? Yeah, we invented that.
The above rights make me a citizen, and possibly also a subject of Lizzie. I'm not sure the two are mutually exclusive all.
Personally I'd like to abolish the monarchy altogether, but its existence doesn't stop me being a British citizen.
A scary thought indeed for me, a British republican (in the end the monarchy sense, not in a GOP sense).
Fortunately we as Brits aren't forced to swear an allegiance to the Queen or even to the country. That kind of indoctrination into patriotism is unknown here,unlike certain other countries I can name. I'd rather be proud of my actions and their outcomes rather than be proud of an accident of birth.
Did I say they weren't regulated? No. I know the rules and regulations and I know they're enforced. You know what? So is regular farming! You can't use DTT in the EU anymore for example, that's a farming regulation!
However, organic farming does allow chemicals and pesticides to be used, it's just a subset of what is used for other farming. Some of them are quite nasty but people assume an organic potato will have been dug by a friendly local farmer using no chemicals and picked by hand. It's a marketing fad, trust me. If you're that bothered, grow your own apples, I can't fault that.
In summary I'm not sayign that organic foods don't meet the standards, I'm saying the standards aren't very stringent in the first place. You've done nothing to change my mind that it's just a buzzword. To be honest I think we'd all be better off eating locally grown produce that isn't covered in chemicals but I don't think it's gonna happen any time soon.
You've missed my point here. I'm saying your body needs the bad microbes to remain healthy. It seem may illogical at first but you have to use your immune system to keep it strong. Your body is constantly fighting off bad bacteria and virii but because you have a strong immune system you rarely feel ill. Illness is caused when they get a foothold and it takes your immune system a while to catch up. If we use science to eliminate *all* the bad bacteria when a new bad bacteria comes along it'll be too weak and underused to fight it off
As other posters have said in replies to my post the rise in over sanitised conditions has been linked to the rise in auto-immune diseases and food allergies. These are diseases where the immune system starts attacking benign things such as wheat or your own lung. The line of thinking is that the immune system is so underused it starts attacking something harmless as it's not occupied fighting of the usual everyday infections we hardly even notice.
So no, I don't think that removing all 'bad' bacteria is a good idea at all. I also don't think my idea is 'dumb'...
Agreed. I think the rise of food allergies is basically due to immune systems becoming 'bored'. They have nothing hostile to attack to they start attacking things like wheat, stomach linings, the lungs etc...
Do you know what food marketing fad I hate at the moment? All this organic nonsense that is being sold in the UK.
Organic potatoes, apples, milk... I thought these were organic products by definition, along with beef, chicken and orange juice. Maybe I'm wrong and they're made in a lab from nylon and plastic...I'm sure it is better for us that they're not covered in quite as many pesticides but quite a few dangerous chemicals are allowed to be used and the product called organic so it's all marketing ****shit. And the stuff is about twice the price...
Or maybe we should just realise that we're designed to cope with a bit of bacteria and get away from this antibacterial over clean lifestyle we live before we destroy our immune systems forever.
I saw a product on TV advertised earlier today: Vicks First Defense. It's an anti bacterial hand spray you can use after you've shook hands with someone or pressed a button in a left/elevator etc. I've been doing those things for years, and the worst I've had a little cold.
I'm not saying don't wash your hands after using the toilet and don't take precautions with food, I'm just worried we're going too far. If we don't use our immune systems they'll become weak, and we'll be wiped out by some bug in the next century or so.
Come on people, we surivived for years without all this over-sanitisation, I'm sure we can survive a few colds and a bit of stomach flu!
All I can say to you after reading this and your replies to the other poster is that you seem to be a horribly bitter person. Lighten up a bit, you might start enjoying life more.
Oh and yes, I am English. I'm not proud of an accident of birth, and we have done a lot of terrible things in the past, as well as a lot of good. As you're Irish I could blame you for the death and destruction the IRA caused, except of course I know that it isn't your fault. Just as the terrible things done in Britain's name 200 years ago isn't the fault of modern Britons.
Grow up and chill out you old bitter nut.
Re:The French news is the most interesting
on
UFOs In the News
·
· Score: 1
Basically, I saw a flying disc perform outrageous maneuvers in broad daylight
I've always wondered about this. If it was aliens why would they come down here and then fly about really quickly and in random directions? It seems to serve no purpose other than to show off. I suppose they could be just being alien.
This isn't an attack at you btw, as you say you don't know what it was, I alway just wonder why the outrageous maneuvers?
I'd just like to back this up and say what a wonderful system I think it is. I spent Summer 2002 backpacking round Europe with a group of friends (I'm a Brit). We flew to Amsterdam then planned on getting the train around Europe (£250 for an inter-rail pass, lets young EU citizens have unlimited travel on European rail networks for 30 days).
Except for the time we left the EU to go to Poland, and reentered the EU in Italy our passport wasn't checked once. Great when you're travelling overnight and wish to sleep without being woken up at 3am by a tired and angry border gaurd. Being woken up in the middle of the night by a Polish border gaurd with a gun is not the most of relaxing experiences I can tell you.
As I say though, while we were in the EU we boarded a train in one country and got off in the next as if we hadn't changed country at all - a relaxing and pleasant experience. I would be interested to see if the UK will ever join Schengen Agreement... Too many paranoid little Englanders I guess.
Intersting how this doesn't work the other way round eh? Wonderful extradition mutual treaty, but only the UK ratified it, the USA has failed to do so. Result? The USA get any British citizen they want (see Enron scandal) and the UK don't get the people they want (see US support of IRA terrorist actions).
Is it legal to lend your CDs to your friends? I know most CDs in the UK have something along these lines written on them:
"Unauthorised copying, reproduction, hiring, lending, broadcasting and public performance prohibited"
I'm not sure I've ever been officially authorised to lend CDs to friends. If you lend your CDs, the companies might be losing out on potential sales! oh noes!
Never mind your friends may go out and buy CDs they originally wouldn't as they've had a proper preview...
Grainger Games on Nunn Street. They sold out as soon as they opened though. I didnt think I'd get one only getting there 30 mins before they opened. Guess I was just lucky.
There's been a lot of talk on the net and on TV about supplies not being sufficient to even fulfil preorders let alone allow non-preorders to buy. I enquired at a few of the big name stores (HMV, Virgin and Game) and was told no chance.
By chance on my way home (Newcastle upon Tyne) I walked passed a local games store, not owned by a big chain. I asked and they said they'll have 5 available and to try back in the morning. I arrived an hour before they opened, queued and got my hands on the 2nd Wii.
Moral of the story: its worth trying local and less well known places, they're often a safer bet!
I stated in another thread why i said this. Saying anything against Americans is a good way to get modded flamebait and thusly ignored. I apologised for generalising and I'm sorry:)
I'm actually British and know that most people in Europe don't instantly dismiss communism
No I shouldn't generalise, I agree. I'm actually British but I've learned from experience that if I'd stated it was a purely American problem I'd have been modded down in seconds. And to be fair the same problem does exist here in the UK, though to much lesser degree. People here are less likely to react without thinking, but it still happens and it does seem to be growing. I could blame everything from American TV, to Reality TV shows to just a general dumbing down of the media but I have no idea where the problem lies...
I'd like to point out I'm not defending communism or any of the regimes of the past or present. I was simply stating that the word has been demonised. As the OP states communism has not worked yet, but as an ideology it can be sound - it's just been abused.
The problem is we have stopped using critical thought when we hear the word, we don't look at specifics or facts when it's used, just assume it's wrong or totaliterian. I think Orwell would be just as critical of our blind assumptions as he was of the communist regimes of his time.
You're fighting a losing battle here. The word and idea 'communism' was hijacked during the McCarthy era and now is synonymous with evil and wrong. It's a short circuit in most Western people's brains that's basically been programmed from birth. They can't think around it - communism == EVIL!
The scary thing is the same is happening with "liberal", it's almost an insult to be called liberal these days.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm not so sure about this. I've flown both in Europe and the US and the attitude of Europe is much more strict with regards to mobile phones. You usually have to turn off your phone as you get on the plane, and there's usually an announcement after landing stating "Please remain seated until the plane arrives at the gate and do not turn on your phone until well inside the terminal building". Also most European airlines will not let you operate a mobile during the flight even in flight mode.
Contrast this with the US where you can use your phone up until the plane gets to the runway and again as soon as the plane is taxiing to the gate. I'm not sure whether Europe is just being extra safe, or the US cellphone networks have lobbied the FAA to allow calls up until the exact limits of what is safe - it's just an observation.
As a Brit then yeah I could say "14th of March", so I guess that's my answer!
I've never understood the logic behind the American way of writing dates. I'm not trying to troll here, it just seems illogical to me.
Here at my office we use both the European and International numerican dates forms, depending on the sitation:
European: DD/MM/YYYY
International: YYYY/MM/DD
As you can the units of time (days, months, years) ascend or descend in order e.g. in the European format you go from the smallest unit (days) through the midsized (months) up to the largest (years). In the International format the same descends from largest first.
But with the American format you start with the month, then go to the smallest, then to the largest. It just seems totally illogical to me, anyone know why it's done that way?
You know I'd normally agree with you, but the issue isn't quite as clear cut as "Britain holds onto Ireland". A large quantity of people who live in NI want to remain British, while another large quantity don't. If everyone in NI wanted to be Irish we'd solve the problem tomorrow, but the Government won't turn it's back on the 1000s of NI citizens who wish to remain British and that's a good thing - the right to self determination is A Good Thing.
And to be frank, what the IRA stands for was nothing to do with my OP. Violent terrorism is wrong in ALL cases (and yes, I know most countries have been guilty of it too, just look at our illegal invasion of Iraq). England has given up the vast vast majority of its former colonies and the general feeling is that that is a good thing. I'm more for us putting our political weight and power into the EU than forcibly taking over other countries. If only America was thinking along the same lines instead of creating a group of vassal states in the middle east? Oh and last time Puerto Rico was a US colon^H^H^H^H^H protectorate.
I couldn't agree more. I'm a Brit and our Government has recently ratified an extradition treaty with the USA. It's meant to be a mutual two way thing to help prevent everyone's favourite buzzword terrorism. Except the USA didn't ratify the bill, it's still pending. The USA has extradited a number of UK citizens (including a computer hacker)using the UK ratified treaty, but we can't extradite the USA citizens who we suspect of supporting the IRA (who commited terrorist acts on the British mainland) who SHOULD stand trial.
The hypocrasy and general one sided "we're the best, do as we say not as we do" attitude of the US Government stinks to high heaven, and the UK Government really needs to grow a pair and stand up to the one sided "special relationship" we supposeldly have with the USA.
It's reference to a South Park episode in which Mr(s) Garrison is forced to teach evolution in his classroom. He doesn't agree with the theory so teaches is very badly, implying that a mutated fish frog had sex with a squirrel which gave birth to humanity. This is all until Richard Dawkins starts teaching at the school, and because Mrs Garrison fancies him, he end up renouncing God so Richard will sleep with him. There's also the whole thread about Carman freezing himself until the Wii is released, only to end up being frozen til the 25th Century in a hilarious Buck Rogers satire. It's actually a really good episode
Go God Go
My passport (do you even have one?) say "British Citizen". I can vote, run for election myself, and say what I want against the queen without fear of the Government. I believe thats free speech? Yeah, we invented that.
The above rights make me a citizen, and possibly also a subject of Lizzie. I'm not sure the two are mutually exclusive all.
Personally I'd like to abolish the monarchy altogether, but its existence doesn't stop me being a British citizen.
A scary thought indeed for me, a British republican (in the end the monarchy sense, not in a GOP sense).
Fortunately we as Brits aren't forced to swear an allegiance to the Queen or even to the country. That kind of indoctrination into patriotism is unknown here,unlike certain other countries I can name. I'd rather be proud of my actions and their outcomes rather than be proud of an accident of birth.
Did I say they weren't regulated? No. I know the rules and regulations and I know they're enforced. You know what? So is regular farming! You can't use DTT in the EU anymore for example, that's a farming regulation!
However, organic farming does allow chemicals and pesticides to be used, it's just a subset of what is used for other farming. Some of them are quite nasty but people assume an organic potato will have been dug by a friendly local farmer using no chemicals and picked by hand. It's a marketing fad, trust me. If you're that bothered, grow your own apples, I can't fault that.
Even the Farmer's Union agrees
In summary I'm not sayign that organic foods don't meet the standards, I'm saying the standards aren't very stringent in the first place. You've done nothing to change my mind that it's just a buzzword. To be honest I think we'd all be better off eating locally grown produce that isn't covered in chemicals but I don't think it's gonna happen any time soon.
As other posters have said in replies to my post the rise in over sanitised conditions has been linked to the rise in auto-immune diseases and food allergies. These are diseases where the immune system starts attacking benign things such as wheat or your own lung. The line of thinking is that the immune system is so underused it starts attacking something harmless as it's not occupied fighting of the usual everyday infections we hardly even notice.
So no, I don't think that removing all 'bad' bacteria is a good idea at all. I also don't think my idea is 'dumb'...
Getting filthy is part of being a kid!
Actually, has anyone seen my organic ?
Organic potatoes, apples, milk... I thought these were organic products by definition, along with beef, chicken and orange juice. Maybe I'm wrong and they're made in a lab from nylon and plastic... I'm sure it is better for us that they're not covered in quite as many pesticides but quite a few dangerous chemicals are allowed to be used and the product called organic so it's all marketing ****shit. And the stuff is about twice the price...
I saw a product on TV advertised earlier today: Vicks First Defense. It's an anti bacterial hand spray you can use after you've shook hands with someone or pressed a button in a left/elevator etc. I've been doing those things for years, and the worst I've had a little cold.
I'm not saying don't wash your hands after using the toilet and don't take precautions with food, I'm just worried we're going too far. If we don't use our immune systems they'll become weak, and we'll be wiped out by some bug in the next century or so.
Come on people, we surivived for years without all this over-sanitisation, I'm sure we can survive a few colds and a bit of stomach flu!
All I can say to you after reading this and your replies to the other poster is that you seem to be a horribly bitter person. Lighten up a bit, you might start enjoying life more.
Oh and yes, I am English. I'm not proud of an accident of birth, and we have done a lot of terrible things in the past, as well as a lot of good. As you're Irish I could blame you for the death and destruction the IRA caused, except of course I know that it isn't your fault. Just as the terrible things done in Britain's name 200 years ago isn't the fault of modern Britons.
Grow up and chill out you old bitter nut.
Basically, I saw a flying disc perform outrageous maneuvers in broad daylight
I've always wondered about this. If it was aliens why would they come down here and then fly about really quickly and in random directions? It seems to serve no purpose other than to show off. I suppose they could be just being alien.
This isn't an attack at you btw, as you say you don't know what it was, I alway just wonder why the outrageous maneuvers?
I'd just like to back this up and say what a wonderful system I think it is. I spent Summer 2002 backpacking round Europe with a group of friends (I'm a Brit). We flew to Amsterdam then planned on getting the train around Europe (£250 for an inter-rail pass, lets young EU citizens have unlimited travel on European rail networks for 30 days).
Except for the time we left the EU to go to Poland, and reentered the EU in Italy our passport wasn't checked once. Great when you're travelling overnight and wish to sleep without being woken up at 3am by a tired and angry border gaurd. Being woken up in the middle of the night by a Polish border gaurd with a gun is not the most of relaxing experiences I can tell you.
As I say though, while we were in the EU we boarded a train in one country and got off in the next as if we hadn't changed country at all - a relaxing and pleasant experience. I would be interested to see if the UK will ever join Schengen Agreement... Too many paranoid little Englanders I guess.
So much for the special relationship
"Unauthorised copying, reproduction, hiring, lending, broadcasting and public performance prohibited"
I'm not sure I've ever been officially authorised to lend CDs to friends. If you lend your CDs, the companies might be losing out on potential sales! oh noes!
Never mind your friends may go out and buy CDs they originally wouldn't as they've had a proper preview...
Grainger Games on Nunn Street. They sold out as soon as they opened though. I didnt think I'd get one only getting there 30 mins before they opened. Guess I was just lucky.
There's been a lot of talk on the net and on TV about supplies not being sufficient to even fulfil preorders let alone allow non-preorders to buy. I enquired at a few of the big name stores (HMV, Virgin and Game) and was told no chance.
By chance on my way home (Newcastle upon Tyne) I walked passed a local games store, not owned by a big chain. I asked and they said they'll have 5 available and to try back in the morning. I arrived an hour before they opened, queued and got my hands on the 2nd Wii.
Moral of the story: its worth trying local and less well known places, they're often a safer bet!
I stated in another thread why i said this. Saying anything against Americans is a good way to get modded flamebait and thusly ignored. I apologised for generalising and I'm sorry :)
I'm actually British and know that most people in Europe don't instantly dismiss communism
No I shouldn't generalise, I agree. I'm actually British but I've learned from experience that if I'd stated it was a purely American problem I'd have been modded down in seconds. And to be fair the same problem does exist here in the UK, though to much lesser degree. People here are less likely to react without thinking, but it still happens and it does seem to be growing. I could blame everything from American TV, to Reality TV shows to just a general dumbing down of the media but I have no idea where the problem lies...
I'd like to point out I'm not defending communism or any of the regimes of the past or present. I was simply stating that the word has been demonised. As the OP states communism has not worked yet, but as an ideology it can be sound - it's just been abused.
The problem is we have stopped using critical thought when we hear the word, we don't look at specifics or facts when it's used, just assume it's wrong or totaliterian. I think Orwell would be just as critical of our blind assumptions as he was of the communist regimes of his time.
You're fighting a losing battle here. The word and idea 'communism' was hijacked during the McCarthy era and now is synonymous with evil and wrong. It's a short circuit in most Western people's brains that's basically been programmed from birth. They can't think around it - communism == EVIL!
The scary thing is the same is happening with "liberal", it's almost an insult to be called liberal these days.
As for NewSpeak, it's doubleplusgood!