David

It really annoys me when people post self-satisfied stuff like this. Its even more
banal than the original post. I'm reasonably familiar with both the US and European
stereotypes, but the use of unqualified superlatives ('entire','best')doesn't make
the point. If we want to get into a (off-topic!) discussion of international
education standards, then lets at least provide some meaningful arguments.

Coming back to the original post: perhaps a more interesting question would be
"whether European teenagers have a better appreciation of American culture than..."
It might prove more relevant to a travel ng...

Dave

[email protected] (ArtKramr) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
    > >Here`s my question. Should educational standards in American schools, particularly
    > >in relation to the world which exists outside the U.S. border, be raised to the
    > >standard which exists in the rest of the world
    >
    > No. we will keep US standards as high as they are which is why the entire
    > world tries to get into US Universities which are the best in the world by a
    > large margin.
    >
    >
    > Arthur Kramer Visit my WW II B-26 website at: http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

Paul Tauger

Please watch your attributions -- I didn't write what you attributed to me (though I
agree with the sentiments).

"Ash & Jaff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    >
    > "a.spencer3" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > >
    > > Paul Tauger <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > > news:[email protected]...
    > > >
    > >
    > > But who's to know that the average USA Jewish tourist in, say, Prague is
    > in
    > > fact Jewish anyway?
    > >
    > > Surreyman
    > >
    >
    > As someone who lives in the middle of the Jewish Quarter in Prague, I can tell you:
    > It's pretty damn easy to tell who the Jewish Americans are, considering that
    > they're walking around in big tour groups visiting all of the Jewish sites here.
    >
    > In fact, many synogogues in the U.S. organize trips to places like the Jewish
    > Quarter in Prague. I chat with some of the tourists on occasion
when
    > I'm out and about, and many of them have cancelled visits to places like Israel and
    > France in favor of places like Prague, specifically because of the rise of violence
    > and anti-Semitism in those areas.
    >
    > Regards,
    >
    > Ash

Nightjar

"Jonathan Morton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]... ...
    > As a left-handed person (living in the UK), I sympathise. The main problem with
    > driving on the "wrong" side is not the rule of the road, but the car. Most people
    > from the UK will tell you it's no problem taking their own car to the mainland on
    > holiday, for example. Conversely with a hire car, I
have
    > to think very carefully at first. The worse thing is the rear view mirror.
I
    > guess it makes you realise that perhaps you *do* use it regularly, even if only
    > subconsciously.

I can't say I have a preference for my own car or a local car when driving outside
the UK. Apart from the first time I drove a local car on the right, when I reached
for the window winder instead of the gear lever a couple of times, I don't find any
problem swopping between the two.

The most difficult time I had was driving in Cyprus. They drive on the proper side of
the road but, being abroad, I found it disconcerting not to be driving on the right.

Colin Bignell

Goerz

"Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]...
    >
    >
    > And DVD's which could more easily be standardized (as are CD's) are deliberately
    > "coded" for different "zones". Heaven forbid that one could buy a DVD from Europe
    > that may never even be released in the U.S.! (Or the other way around - an American
    > movie not yet released in Europe.)

That's what region-free DVD readers are for

Goerz

Desmond Coughla

Le Mon, 6 May 2002 21:44:02 +0100, vince <don`[email protected]`t.read.it> a écrit :

    > I have been astonished by some of the threads on r.t.e lately.
    >
    > Is there drinking water in Europe? Can you buy batteries in Europe? Can you buy
    > petrol in Europe? Is it safe to go to Europe if you are Jewish?
    >
    > Here`s my question. Should educational standards in American schools, particularly
    > in relation to the world which exists outside the U.S. border, be raised to the
    > standard which exists in the rest of the world?

I wouldn't say that Americans are 'thick'. They're just not as bright as Europeans.
Then again, when their education system functions on the principal that the richest
get the best education, that's hardly surprising.

--
Desmond Coughlan |****#1 YGL#4 YFC#1 YFB#1 UKRMMA#14 two#38 desmond @ noos.fr
    |BONY#48 ANORAK#11 http://mapage.noos.fr/desmond/ Clé Publique :
http://mapage.noos.fr/desmond/pgp/pubring.pkr

Icono Clast

David Gascon wrote:
    > New Zealand? Isn't that part of Australia?

No. Holland.

«¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤ ¦ ¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤»
ICONO CLAST A San Franciscan in San Francisco - IClast at SFBay Net
http://geocities.com/dancefest/

Icono Clast

[email protected] wrote:
    > I'm right handed and I found it a little disconcerting to be shifting with my
    > left hand.

Strange. M'left hand learned how t'do it before the third light and didn't get
another instant's thought.

    > Perhaps this has something to do with a phenomenon called "muscle memory."

Nope. Your left hand, as mine, had no memory of shifting. We dancers know a lot
about muscle memory: I was able to dance after having not done so for about 24
years because m'muscles remembered what to do and how t'do it. It wasn't good, but
it was there.

    > I was hitting the door with my right hand trying to shift. AFTER TWENTY YEARS NOT
    > DRIVING A MANUAL TRANSMISSION!

I didn't make a mistake at all under similar circumstances. Maybe you're just too
hard-wired.

    > it all depends on what one is used to.

In some contexts, perhaps. It could also have something to do with how
flexible/adaptable/open you are. I perceive we differ in those respects.

«¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤ ¦ ¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤»
ICONO CLAST A San Franciscan in San Francisco - IClast at SFBay Net
http://geocities.com/dancefest/

Desmond Coughla

Le Tue, 07 May 2002 06:15:41 -0400, R J Carpenter <[email protected]> a écrit :

{ snip }

    > 2) She could have been from:
    >
    > Wales, Alaska Wales, North Dakota Wales, Utah Wales, Wisconsin or perhaps Lake
    > Wales, Florida North Wales, Pennsylvania
    >
    > There isn't just __one__ Wales, though Brits may not know of any others .

An ex of mine, from Germany, got stopped for speeding in the United States. The
officer asked them (she was with a girlfriend) where they were from. One said
'Germany', and the other one said at the same time, 'Europe.'

The cop sighed, and said, 'OK, now which is it : Europe, or Germany ?'

How many Germanies are there ?

--
Desmond Coughlan |****#1 YGL#4 YFC#1 YFB#1 UKRMMA#14 two#38 desmond @ noos.fr
    |BONY#48 ANORAK#11 http://mapage.noos.fr/desmond/ Clé Publique :
http://mapage.noos.fr/desmond/pgp/pubring.pkr

The Oik

"devil" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Jonathan Morton wrote:
    > >
    > > "Jenn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > > news:[email protected]...
    > >
    > > > the fact that Europeans seem to drink bottled and not tap water in restaurants
    > > > suggests to travelers that the water isn't safe
    > >
    > > No, it doesn't. It suggests that the chlorine (or whatever it is) in it
to
    > > make it safe also makes it taste funny. But the same also applies to tap water in
    > > the US, IMX.
    > >
    > > Besides, whoever heard of carbonated tap-water?
    >
    >
    > I have heard stories of fertilizer finding its way in the water also.
    >
    > This said, from a safety perspective, your regular tap water is typically still
    > better than bottled water. As any coli count will tell you (although these won't be
    > these dangerous new strains, merely the good old inoffensive ones, which
    > historically have been used as a measure of the bacteria content).

On a serious travel note (what!), its maybe worth noting, for some, that it wasn't so
long ago that the tap water in North London was declared 'non kosher' (sorry, I don't
know the tech term) due to the quantity of micro shell fish in it. Totally safe,
tasted foul, full of who knows what purification chemicals.

Anywhere I've stayed for more than a few days with 'good' water, I've drunk tap
water, anywhere I'm at for, say, two days, I'll avoid it. I once say a medical report
which showed that exactly the same proportion of Spanish travels to the UK were
'upset' by the water as UK travellers to ES.

Icono Clast

Ash & Jaff wrote:
    > Americans, who probably wouldn't even know who you were talking about if you
    > mentioned the word "Roma" to them.

We refer to them as Gypsies, a name devoid of emotional content although it is the
root of the word "gyp". Although many live in the USA, they're not often seen. My
experiences with them, in this country, have been, uh, interesting.

"Anders Svensson" <[email protected]> wrote
    > > When SAAB exported their cars to us some 10-15 years ago the safety belts had to
    > > be made EXTRA long on the export models to us as the americans (us only, not the
    > > rest of america) where in fact too fat to fit.

    > > As I tested the belts myself I was surprised to see how much extra belt length
    > > there was. Two normal persons could easily have fitted.

    > ...and finally the answer to whether Americans are especially "thick"...!

Fell offa m'chair!

«¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤ ¦ ¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤»
ICONO CLAST A San Franciscan in San Francisco - IClast at SFBay Net
http://geocities.com/dancefest/

R J Carpenter

Desmond Coughlan wrote:
    >
    > Le Mon, 6 May 2002 21:44:02 +0100, vince <don`[email protected]`t.read.it> a écrit :
    >
    > > I have been astonished by some of the threads on r.t.e lately.
    > >
    > > Is there drinking water in Europe? Can you buy batteries in Europe? Can you buy
    > > petrol in Europe? Is it safe to go to Europe if you are Jewish?
    > >
    > > Here`s my question. Should educational standards in American schools,
    > > particularly in relation to the world which exists outside the U.S. border, be
    > > raised to the standard which exists in the rest of the world?
    >
    > I wouldn't say that Americans are 'thick'. They're just not as bright as Europeans.
    > Then again, when their education system functions on the principal that the richest
    > get the best education, that's hardly surprising.

Over here in 'Murica we use the following definitions. Apparently you are taught
different ones over there.

PRINCIPAL adj. "first in importance" n. "a person having the chief authority or
responsibility"

PRINCIPLE n. "an essential truth upon which other truths are based", "a rule by which
a person chooses to govern his conduct", etc.

Padraig Breathn

Desmond Coughlan <[email protected]> wrote:

    >I wouldn't say that Americans are 'thick'. They're just not as bright as Europeans.
    >Then again, when their education system functions on the principal that the richest
    >get the best education, that's hardly surprising.

What education system helped you develop your spelling skills?

PB

Desmond Coughla

Le Wed, 08 May 2002 10:23:22 GMT, Padraig Breathnach <[email protected]> a écrit :

    >>I wouldn't say that Americans are 'thick'. They're just not as bright as Europeans.
    >>Then again, when their education system functions on the principal that the richest
    >>get the best education, that's hardly surprising.

    > What education system helped you develop your spelling skills?

Sorry, mate, I can't see any errors in there. Care to enlighten me ?

Oh, and the answer to your question is: British.

--
Desmond Coughlan |****#1 YGL#4 YFC#1 YFB#1 UKRMMA#14 two#38 desmond @ noos.fr
    |BONY#48 ANORAK#11 http://mapage.noos.fr/desmond/ Clé Publique :
http://mapage.noos.fr/desmond/pgp/pubring.pkr

Icono Clast

Hatunen wrote:
    > a gentleman of obvious Latin American origin stepping off a plane in the USA and
    > commenting that he always carried [product] because of the reaction his stomach had
    > to our water.

Thus supporting my long held belief that it's not the water nor the bugs in it but
your body's familiarity with those bugs. My water's bugs might be capable of
ruining your trip. Your water's bugs might be capable of ruining my trip. I don't
drink bottled water because I think it's the most expensive product on Earth. When
on The Road in other than First World countries, I drink beer, wine, tonic water,
and fruit juices. Beer, wine, and tonic water are likely to be very clean products.
Water in a bottle's just water in a bottle. Who knows whence it came? Or how it got
into that bottle?

Seems to me that, just a few years ago, a Sacramento water bottler was busted for
using Sacramento's tap water. How many Yuppies have you heard comment on "the taste"
of water they're drinking in a bar or specifying this marque of that one because of
"the taste". Yeah, sure.

«¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤ ¦ ¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤-¤»
ICONO CLAST A San Franciscan in San Francisco - IClast at SFBay Net
http://geocities.com/dancefest/

Chris Brown

In article <[email protected]>, Hatunen <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >As you tell it a lot of further cometn is required. The USA has cities all over the
    >place named for European cities. If someone were introduced as being from Boston it
    >would be assumed by any American that the city in Massachusetts were at point and
    >not a town in East Anglia.

Boston isn't in East Anglia.

Denver is, though. Funny thing is, it's literally just a few feet above sea level.

--
/* _ */main(int k,char**n){char*i=k&1?"+L*;99,RU[,RUo+BeKAA+BECACJ+CAACA" /* / `
*/"CD+LBCACJ*":1[n],j,l=!k,m;do for(m=*i-48,j=l?m/k:m%k;m>>7?k=1<<m+ /* |
*/8,!l&&puts(&l)**&l:j--;printf(" \0_/"+l));while((l^=3)||l[++i]); /* \_,hris Brown
-- All opinions expressed are probably wrong. */return 0;}