Picking on Brits a Bit

[cosmicfolklore]

@rakovsky
1. As a Southerner, we learn early to just nod politely and look for someone else to ask.

2. Birmingham, Alabama during the 80's was on the FBI's most dangerous place in the world list. The crack epidemic led to the city hiring police officers from other cities when they got fired for being too violent, which led to the world's most violent police force. By the mid 90's, with revitalization of the worst parts, those officers were being weeded back out. "Head Crackers" were how they were referred to in conversation.
So, given that this was a decades old conversation, in my memory, I assumed the officer was fired for probably roughing up that foreigner. I have another story of being a pizza delivery driver for a summer there, and I rolled through a stop sign in a rain storm trying to read street signs, and being as compliant as I could, scared to death of these officers, I still ended up with my face in a water rushing through the streets with a boot in my neck. Those guys didn't play. Who knows, maybe that foreigner was there on a diplomatic mission... not sure.

3. You're right, and I remember seeing those roundabouts... which Alabama is putting everywhere now. Even now, I am still intimidated, and I will drive an extra 15 miles to avoid them. Back then... I would have probably wet myself in London, Haha. I hate roundabouts... not because I am not sure what to do in them, but because 90% of everyone else here doesn't know what to do with their either. For us... they are a stupid idea. There's one in my town that almost always has a car setting in the middle, wrecked, because the driver wasn't expecting to see that weirdness.

 

[mawnansmiff]

For us... they are a stupid idea.

Likewise over here but town planners seem to love them for some inexplicable reason. Here is the 'magic roundabout' in Swindon. I have actually encountered this on a motorcycle and just rode straight across it.

Swindon's 'iconic' Magic Roundabout turns 40

A roundabout enthusiast describes a well-known Swindon landmark, which opened 40 years ago, as "iconic".

www.bbc.co.uk

Jay.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Likewise over here but town planners seem to love them for some inexplicable reason. Here is the 'magic roundabout' in Swindon. I have actually encountered this on a motorcycle and just rode straight across it.

View attachment 356217

Swindon's 'iconic' Magic Roundabout turns 40

A roundabout enthusiast describes a well-known Swindon landmark, which opened 40 years ago, as "iconic".

www.bbc.co.uk

Jay.

We are told that cost of making a roundabout was $10000, whereas an intersection with traffic lights, sensors and such is half a million. So to pinch some pennies, Alabama is getting these on new road constructions. We are all not very happy about it.

 

[MisterBadger]

Likewise over here but town planners seem to love them for some inexplicable reason. Here is the 'magic roundabout' in Swindon. I have actually encountered this on a motorcycle and just rode straight across it.

View attachment 356217

Swindon's 'iconic' Magic Roundabout turns 40

A roundabout enthusiast describes a well-known Swindon landmark, which opened 40 years ago, as "iconic".

www.bbc.co.uk

Jay.

I managed to negotiate that multi-roundabout once... twice, in fact, when escaping. Except in the direst necessity, I intend never to go to Swindon ever again.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

 

[wyfbane]

So far, you limeys have schooled me on my era of your ways.
It’d only be weird if you did something silly… like… buying hotdogs in a jar.

To be fair...

 

[mawnansmiff]

I intend never to go to Swindon ever again.

I never intended to go to Swindon in the first place. It was dark and I was lost when I came across that famous road sign. I recall looking at it and being totally confused and as it was dark I just popped the bike back into gear and shot across it.

Can't do that these days of course, Big Brother cameras everywhere

Jay.

 

[wyfbane]

We are told that cost of making a roundabout was $10000, whereas an intersection with traffic lights, sensors and such is half a million. So to pinch some pennies, Alabama is getting these on new road constructions. We are all not very happy about it.

They were putting those in back in Washington in the last few.years before I left. Thoroughly unpleasant affairs.

Or maybe thoroughfairly unpleasant...? Lol

 

[mawnansmiff]

It would seem that Paddington bear is not American enough to make a film about. So I'd like to know what was American enough about Robin Hood?

Paddington Bear is 100% Peruvian British so hand off Hollywood.

Paddington firm Canal+ lists in UK to protect bear's Britishness

The boss of Canal+ says the bear will stay "close to his roots" as the firm begins trading in London.

www.bbc.co.uk

Jay.

 

[FLDRD]

In the case of the UK if you have to drink fast on a highway where the cars go both directions, it could feel confusing or dangerous.

Ah, the good ol' days. There was nothing quite like when you had to drink fast on the highway when cars were going both directions. Now we got all these dang rules..................................................................................

 

[wyfbane]

It would seem that Paddington bear is not American enough to make a film about. So I'd like to know what was American enough about Robin Hood?

Paddington Bear is 100% Peruvian British so hand off Hollywood.

Paddington firm Canal+ lists in UK to protect bear's Britishness

The boss of Canal+ says the bear will stay "close to his roots" as the firm begins trading in London.

www.bbc.co.uk

Jay.

It's based on marmalade consumption. We yanks just haven't reached the marmalade quota to qualify for a Paddington movie of our own.

A US bear story is Yogi bear, out of Jellystone park. Lol

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I just can't do marmalade... no thank you.


But, Robin Hood is American, as long as you don't vest too much into the Robinhood character. Then, it's about a commie who almost gets away with it, till the venture capitalist returns home to set things right.

 

[Infantry23]

Wasn't Paddington born in Peru? And then the evil British colonizers tore him from his loving family to move to a more suitable location? (A flat in London)

It was something like that. I wasn't paying too much attention since it was a British movie anyway.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Wasn't Paddington born in Peru? And then the evil British colonizers tore him from his loving family to move to a more suitable location? (A flat in London)

It was something like that. I wasn't pay too much attention since it was a British movie anyway.

I'm certain that if they had bears in England, that people wouldn't just let them stay outside.

 

[condorlover1]

British approach to clubbing.....

 

[wyfbane]

I'm certain that if they had bears in England, that people wouldn't just let them stay outside.

Not without a proper hat and coat, anyway.

 

[rakovsky]

In many counties non-residents are taken into custody post bail/fine with the presiding court officer (Justice of the Peace usually). Those fines are sometimes a fair portion of the county budget. A fellow student at the National Academy, a county officer from Georgia, related that the justice of the peace often rode with the cops and accepted the fine/bail on the spot.

OK, so let's say that a legal non-resident drove through a stop sign or doesn't have his Driving License and gets taken into custody.

Putting him/her into custody seems too severe for something like such a summary traffic offense. There are a lot of minor traffic issues that police often don't even stop people for like driving in the left line when the right lane is empty or driving into yellow-light intersections.

But supposing that this is the correct procedure, then it's confusing why the officer would get fired over it. Or does a foreign passport count just as well as a foreign DL for purposes of laws demanding that drivers have their DLs with them?

But that seems unlikely. Let's suppose that a Korean drives in the US and an American drives in Korea, and neither have their DL in their car. In that case, how would police know whether the person had a legitimate DL in their home country? I would guess that the law demanding drivers carry DLs would apply to foreigners and not to just passports.

 

[rakovsky]

One evening Mrs. Badger and I found ourselves at an event at which we were with a young friend, Mark, who came from deepest Dorset and hadn't seen much of the world outside it, and another, Wullie, a Scot from Glasgow. Wullie started enthusing to Mark about a similar event he'd recently been at, and while Mrs B. and I could understand him perfectly, Mark could hardly make sense of a word. So for half the evening, we sat between the two of them and translated - Westcountry English to Glaswegian English, and back again. Now if Wullie had not been making an effort but had been speaking Scots instead (which is another language in its own right, with several regional dialects all related to English and not to be confused with Scots Gaelic, which is vastly different again), the case would have been hopeless. Imagine a conversation which went something like this:

Wullie: Wear ye comfrey, man?

Mark: Sorry?

The Bs: He's asking where are you from.

Mark: Christchurch.

Wullie: Cries chutch. Wear the fox hat?

Mark: What?

The Bs: He wants to know where Christchurch is.

(etc).

How come you could understand the Scottish dialect but the Englishman could not? I'm alittle surprised at that part.

 

[LotusEater]

Driving - especially a stick shift - on the other side of the road in a car that is laid out completely the opposite of what we have in America - is a fantastic brain exercise. Honesty, it really makes the neurons all pop in a way they rarely get to over hear and on most occasions. It's kind of like catching a wave when you are surfing.

It’s like a dynamic form of stoop test with serious consequences

 

[sablebrush52]

We are told that cost of making a roundabout was $10000, whereas an intersection with traffic lights, sensors and such is half a million. So to pinch some pennies, Alabama is getting these on new road constructions. We are all not very happy about it.

It's a form of population reduction.