A Question

OK, I wanted to ask people what things that they know about in other countries that they would like to have in their own. It can be a system or infrastructure, make of car, type of house, whatever.

Please do not talk about what you don't like about other countries or things you are glad not to have in your own!

Personally I think it would be good if we in the UK had much bigger trains like american (and perhaps other countries) ones. They may not be commonplace, but on a few films I have seen big luxury 2 story trains that look about a million times nicer than the ones we have here - ours always seem small and.. well just not very good.

It would also be good if we had the broadband network like south korea has - I think the minimum they have that counts as broadband is 2 megabit, and you can get 10 megabit to your house for a non-stupid price, but here 2 megabit is pretty much the most you can get.

first, its hard to wish for what others have, when we have almost everything they have, and either more common, or cheaper.. so it will be a tough question for us in the USA to answer jeff..

secondly, have you checked our railway systems lately? they are decrepit, and sadly in need of repair, mostly cause as public transports, they are used by way to few of our population.. our non-public trains are massive though.. coal trains run past here daily.

lastly, it is my understanding that broadband in the USA, is purely subject to the modems used.. the same line that gives my 1.5 could give me 5 Mbps.. so i wish for and modems someone may have in whatever country has 5 Mbps DSL :smile:

hmm ... Bullet Trains would be nice ( they can't be built for use in America, however, the first bullet train in Japan was designed by an American )

Something that doesn't exist in any country, or at all, that would be nice is outer atmosphere travel. To replace (or in addition) to airplanes, the only bad part is the G's would make people sick. But it'd be pretty cool that getting to any place on Earth would take no more then a couple hours (total). It'd also be nice if centrifical force gravity was addapted to space stations, I suppose these things are way too expensive to build though.

[edit]
Orph, the speed of your internet is not determined by your modem. It can be adjusted for higher speeds, if it needs it at all. What limits your bandwidth is your ISP's servers you're connected to, at least in the way you're thinking.

Oh... well I still think it would be better if we had wider railway tracks here so we could have at least a few big trains :smile: Or maybe if we had maglev trains like in Japan, that would be nice.

Orph - you could have said 'a law against using a mobile phone while driving down the freeway' :razz:

scary_jeff said:
Oh... well I still think it would be better if we had wider railway tracks here so we could have at least a few big trains :smile: Or maybe if we had maglev trains like in Japan, that would be nice.

american rails are 4 or 5 feet wide jeff (i am not positive which).. they are freakin stinkin narrow bud..

check out the stats someplace :biggrin:

our rails have been narrow since the steam days, but we had so many tracks already in place, they couldn't realistically replace them all.

Orph - you could have said 'a law against using a mobile phone while driving down the freeway' :razz:

They exist. Just not in every county of every state. Usually they vote on this sort of thing ... and there are reasons why it doesn't pass :razz:

crono, then forget the modem portion of my comment, and stick to what i said that was correct :biggrin: (remember what i said, some things don't always need corrected :razz: )

jeff, the cell phone laws are mostly in place, but so few actually realize it its a crime, plus it doesn't help that our police force is doing it too.. i actually witnessed, with my own eyes, a sheriff driving and using his laptop.. it was scary to even contemplate so horrible a crime in action, by a law enforcement official :sad:

every state, in the USA has some sort of a distracted driving law, but damned few have fines high enuff to warrant enforcement.. if a cop can write a 100 dollar ticket, why would he waste his time on a 40???

The really weird thing (in Oregon anyway) is, not driving with a seatbelt or 'nicking a bike lane' (Which is nearly impossible not to do around here.) Both have higher fines then speeding. (70 bucks for speeding, 250 for no seatbelt, and 375 for "operating a vehicle in a bike lane", which means, your back right tire touched the bike lane line while you were making a right turn.)

So I guess you could say you wish people on your roads had a better general awareness of the laws of the road and the potential consequences of what they are doing. I suppose that's something every country could benifit from!

Has this anything to do with your course, Jeff? :wink:

We need more igloos. Or talking Japanese toilets. More sun, too!! :razz:

Crono said:
The really weird thing (in Oregon anyway) is, not driving with a seatbelt or 'nicking a bike lane' (Which is nearly impossible not to do around here.) Both have higher fines then speeding. (70 bucks for speeding, 250 for no seatbelt, and 375 for "operating a vehicle in a bike lane", which means, your back right tire touched the bike lane line while you were making a right turn.)

the truly sad thing is, in some states you can recieve a 1000 to 5000 dollar fine for littering, but none for driving with a phone stuck to your head..

i wish, we had more realisticly enforced laws on our roadways.

i drive for a living, i could fill pages with the horror stories i have seen

Those spaniards have been hogging their siestas for too long. I could really use daily midday naps.

I'd like it if they started sellin g fritsauce over here cos at the min I have to go to Holland for it.

Leperous said:
More sun, too!! :razz:

i almost wet myself for real when i read this, i know you may have meant it seriously, but it was so funny..

my apologies for laughing at your hardships..

1. Breeder reactors like are used in France.

2. Good public rail systems like in mainland Europe

gimpinthesink said:
I'd like it if they started sellin g fritsauce over here cos at the min I have to go to Holland for it.

you go to holland to buy one product? that's commitment that is.. unless - Holland? Does one have an "alterior motive" as it were, possibly beginning with A and ending in msterdam.

Mmm, that's what I'd like in the UK. Green coffee shops!

Quote - Orph

"i wish, we had more realisticly enforced laws on our roadways." -

that's just it, in Britain we've plastered the country in signs and speed cameras and still there is no visible large reduction in accidents.

According to a news article the other day that I heard, there was a new scheme (from mainland Europe) whereby the authorities minimised the road markings/signs/lights etc to a bare minimum - and noticed a massive drop in accidents. All because the drivers supposedly are forced to concentrate on the road more as well.

An interesting idea IMO, and I thought it might interest you Orph with your background and concerns over the topic :smile:

I'd like it if the US stole another German idea and removed all speed limits from the highways. Nobody follows the limits anyways, the roads are fairly straight, and natural selection would remove many of the crappy drivers from the road. This would be a win-win situation!

Compulsory annual/bi-annual re-testing for drivers over a certain age limit. Despite the claims that "young people drive like maniacs", many of the older people on the roads are just... dangerous :smile: I think this is practiced in a couple of European countries again, but seems to make a lot of sense to me.

And god knows what the driving fixation is with me today, I can't even afford a car let alone drive one

me goes scouring leftist paradise like countries for stealable policies

Things I'd like in Canberra from overseas:

Rain that lasts for more than 5 minutes, like rainy days in the UK.

UK trains (I haven't been overseas much, so in my experience it's either UK or French) ... There aren't any trains in Canberra for some contrived reason.

Games/movies that come out early like in the US.

Fast broadband for reasonable prices like US/UK/Korea ... pfft ANYwhere is better than here - everyone has 56k/256/512 ... like 1 in 100 people have more than 512. :S

Gwil said:
Compulsory annual/bi-annual re-testing for drivers over a certain age limit. Despite the claims that "young people drive like maniacs", many of the older people on the roads are just... dangerous :smile: I think this is practiced in a couple of European countries again, but seems to make a lot of sense to me.

i think the compulsory testing idea would work, but not for age, instead for proven recklessness. this would encompass all ages, and focus on the issue.. if you have an accident, no matter how trivial, you are under a years probation, a second accident and you lose your driving privilege for a certain time frame. people drive so reckless because they have been allowed to do it for so long.. everyone tailgates now, many actually push their way into traffic.. age or gender doesn't seem to be to much of a factor in my observations.

owning a phone and using it while driving has become so commonplace that its bordering on vogue if you do it, a status symbol if you will... i actually get verbally abused for mentioning the risk of it all.. everything from "mind your own business" to "f**k-you asshole, who do you think you are?"

i see so many weaving and bobbing along in traffic, its scares me to almost quitting my job.. i just know that statistically speaking, the person whom causes the accident, rarely gets killed. its the innocent other that usually does.. THAT WOULD BE ME!

almost as bad are those, so concerned with their next call that they actually carry the damned thing around.. JUST IN CASE :sad: .. these dumb-f**ks are so obsessed with their phones, they cant put them down..

then you have the inconsiderate whom talk on the phone while s**tting.. who has conversations in the bathroom??? .. its almost as bad in the restaurants.. a very loud phone disturbs your privacy, then the asswipe with some booming, or whinny voice insists on continuing the conversation in spite of the dozens of dirty looks telling him silently to desist..

recently i noticed a trend toward automobile DVD players.. the new dual screen is very convenient when placed upon your sun visors ..

as i said, if the law enforcement people would actually enforce...

fines do not seem to influence the issue, so revoking driving privileges is a must.. many people forget that driving is NOT A RIGHT, and can be revoked at any time..

/me pants from mental outrages..

i think i need a breather after this post :heee:

I'd like to see more 'respect' towards teachers and whatnot in schools, like they have in some Asian countries. But, er, that's not really infrastructure is it... neither is a space elevator, yet... hmm there isn't a great deal really except a few laws and social changes.

a country to be proud of once again? oh wait, thats out of the question

this may be slightly off topic, but i would like to see other countries viewing each other as they are, not as the news reels depict them..

i am so tired of the idea that americans are inherently evil.. most of us just survive the daily drudgery of life with little time left over for being evil to another nation :sad:

if nothing else, i would truly like to read a statement, that blames the real culprits.. i do not blame the entire island of england, for the damned beatles, why can't other share this concept :heee:

What, what are you on about now? Where did that come from?! I think we've said a million times before we don't hate Americans, just generally your government

Leperous said:
What, what are you on about now? Where did that come from?! I think we've said a million times before we don't hate Americans, just generally your government

what are you on period.. you think this question just pertains to snarkpit? or are you suffering withdrawls from some overdose?

get over it lep.. there is a world outside this site.. i assumed the question was for all wishes, i see the news on TV and my comment is valid, and a real wish i hold dear..

No, but do you think that the views expressed here are simply ramblings of a few people in the minority? People in the West in general don't hate American people. It is your government and huge corporations which people mainly have a problem with. Anyway, what do you think about the average Arab or Chinese or African person? Are you completely innocent of "returning the feeling"?

And no offence, but American news is hardly unbiased or relevant to anything outside the American sphere. I find it quite hypocritical that you try to tell me "there is a world outside this site"- have you ever left your own country, seen poverty in Mexico perhaps?- along with your "most of us just survive the daily drudgery of life" comment, coming from someone who lives in the most well-off nation in the world.

Leperous said:
No, but do you think that the views expressed here are simply ramblings of a few people in the minority? People in the West in general don't hate American people. It is your government and huge corporations which people mainly have a problem with. Anyway, what do you think about the average Arab or Chinese or African person? Are you completely innocent of "returning the feeling"?

And no offence, but American news is hardly unbiased or relevant to anything outside the American sphere. I find it quite hypocritical that you try to tell me "there is a world outside this site", along with your "most of us just survive the daily drudgery of life" comment, coming from someone who lives in the most well-off nation in the world.

i honestly do not know how to answer this post adequately lep.. i realize others perceive the USA as well off, but i can take you anyplace within 25 miles of my house and show you hungry children.. the concept of us bing well off is fictitious.. it may be true that there are far worse places in the world, but the average american is most definitely NOT well off..

old people eating dog food out of cans, because our medical is so outragous..

you truly have no idea, and truly have no damned opinion at all i believe, because you have seen so little of the US and judge it all according to its limited scope.

for us to be a 1st world country, we have homelessness, hunger, diseases, and crime that is bordering on 3rd world..

as i said, i cannot answer you in a way to make it clear to you, but its far from the garden of eden around here.. and i find it extremely offensive when people whom do not live here are so sure its otherwise..

when was the last time, you heard me say anything even remotely positive about the living conditions of the UK?? never is the answer, but so many here talk as as if they have 1st hand knowledge of our life styles..

i admit, the US has its perks, but its tough.. for most of us, and i would truly appreciate it if you accept my word on it, and stop acting as if i make this s**t up..

i cannot compare my life to the average easterner, stop comparing yourself to mine..

I would like nicer weather here in Sweden like in many other countries. The weather's quite nice here right now because it's spring/summer but in the autumn and winter the weather suxs .

<edit>
I also want anime to be broadcast on TV like in Japan ^_^

Orpheus said:
for us to be a 1st world country, we have homelessness, hunger, diseases, and crime that is bordering on 3rd world..

So does every country in the world. You should see bad bits of the ones which are third world. You may also realise that I have been to America a number of times and am not simply being an armpit 'critic' of the average American in any way. But thanks for derailing the thread :razz:

Leperous said:
I'd like to see more 'respect' towards teachers and whatnot in schools, like they have in some Asian countries.

I agree... and towards elder too

Indeed, I think we need to define that nobody here in the UK (from these forums, at least, I can certainly note there is a plethora of racists in this fine nation) "hates Americans" or "blames Americans" for the evils of the world - we simply acknowledge and recognise that the USA, the former USSR, the UK, the EU are no better than each other.

You cannot deny the fact that past US/UK/USSR politicians/statesmen have a lot to answer for in terms of historical and present day failings - there is no two ways about it if you have any sense of humanity or morals.

Like Lep says, we have problems with multinational corporations near enough extorting large amounts of money in exchanged for subsidised goods produced at home in the Western countries. So while we live a life of luxury and excess (in many senses of the word, overproduction is a huge problem which wastes millions of dollars/pounds a year - and leaves grain to rot while thousands starve in the third world style states).

Likewise we have issues with governments lying to their people and ordering wars with dubious motives and bad planning, whilst the domestic agenda goes down the pan and yet again, ?/$'s are wasted for evil and not good. I wouldn't flatter yourself and say the attacks are on the USA, we attack the dubious morals of most Western governments and their attitude to the rest of the world (as well as non-"Western" states, but people generally discuss issues relevant to them).

It just so happens that America and its respective administration at the time is the "accepted leader" of the free world as it were, and so leads by example - and has the power to do a lot of good for the world. We are not carrying a torch for Communism or liberalism, we're speaking out against what we feel is unacceptable behaviour by ALL civilised countries of the world, not just the USA.

And yes certainly, no offence intended but American news/media is heavily isolationist, so CNN/NBC/ABC never really report all the news - that's an issue for your country, not me ^_^ Here in the UK, France, germany etc etc news is national and internationally based, so I think it is almost a dead certainty that the learned new generation will take issue with what they feel is wrong, and right. If you can't accept the fact that America is the leading country in the world, and sometimes we are well within our rights to question them as the purveyors of freedom and liberty - when they seem to be pursuing an agenda far from that idealistic view.

I think you have to bite the bullet and accept that we have a right to speak out against the US/UK/Swaziland (ok so maybe not them :razz: ) government as we see fit and appropriate. If there was no dialogue or criticism, how would we advance past our common problems faced with international trade and politics?

The simple fact is, we wouldn't. If you crush or silence the people who think objectively and morally about making the world a better place, you do no favours to yourself or humanity.

</ramble-rant>

Edit: personally I carry my personal "torch" of attacking the westernised countries and other economic powers of the world for their downright inexcusable lack of action on the millions of people suffering in the world, whilst we lead a life of decadence, excess and greed.

Leperous said:

Orpheus said:
for us to be a 1st world country, we have homelessness, hunger, diseases, and crime that is bordering on 3rd world..

So does every country in the world. You should see bad bits of the ones which are third world. You may also realize that I have been to America a number of times and am not simply being an armpit 'critic' of the average American in any way. But thanks for derailing the thread :razz:

asshole.. do you realize, that every time you screw the dog, you blame it on someone else??

sure you had every right to call me on what i said, but the methods you employ are f**king ridiculous.. and you have the audacity to place blame on me??

my comment was legit, it had nothing whatsoever to do with snarkpit, yet you chose to make it so..

your visits are hardly conclusive, 1st off, the fact that you had the damned money to get from there to here dictates that you hardly saw the poorer realities of the life most of us leads.. i couldn't go there afterall, yet i live in the most "WELL OFF COUNTRY" what a f**king joke..

lep, it would be best if you kept your mouth shut about things you know so little about, and let the grownups worry about it.. cause seriously, your opinions are not only biased, they are skewed from a standpoint of how you acquired them.. if you have enough money to go overseas for whatever reason, you prolly have no idea how, or what poor people have to endure..

now i assume you will focus on my ageism comment, but that your problem, not mine, or anyone else who may feel you slighted us.. deal with it, it would after all be the adult thing to do..

i am telling you for the last time, stop acting as if you are in the know about life in the USA, just cause you visited.. you have no concept at all, or at least as little as i have about your fair country..

i derailed it... screw your concept of derailment.. :rolleyes:

don't push me on this lep, i will not bite my tongue if you falsely accuse me even once more.. i have been very patient to now.. and am advising you as best i can.. stick to the issues at hand, and leave your visits out of it.

Why do you always have to drag these things down into a bitch fest? You always seem to complain about how people view America- in this thread, at least you admitted it was off topic, and there is nothing wrong or new with doing so. Did my use of the smiley drive you over the edge and get nasty, and ask me if I was suffering from drug withdrawl or don't have a life? And I can take you 100m or 25 miles or whatever from where I am and show you homeless people who will mostly live in poverty too, as you can do anywhere in the world, but that wasn't the point. I am sick of your "older than you and know more than you" attitude which you constantly employ; I never once said or meant "oh well I've travelled around a lot and seen a lot of poverty so I can occupy the moral highground", I am merely defending against you claiming that I know nothing of the world by saying that I have seen a lot of the world and poverty, which I guess you haven't outside your own skewed media. And what have I accused you of, bar turning this thread into some kind of arguethon- did that offend you more than anything else in this thread?!

what offends me is when you so easily shift blame, cause the thread went astray "after" you posted, not before.

your travels give you a perspective, not a realistic viewpoint by any means.. the fact that you were able to visit america dictates you have wealth above average americans.. i would imagine that the vast majority could never do so..

my point was general up to your ill thought out 1st reply.. it sounded like the dementia that drug abusers might employ.. if you do not want to be accused of acting weird, dont act it..

i bring up age, cause it strikes a cord with you, truth hurts in many cases, its up to you to decide how badly it wounded you.. if my references to ages effected you none at all, my comment would have been unjustified.. since it bothers you.. GUESS WHAT :biggrin:

you dig your own hole, its just my place to point out you are about to tumble inside it..

Is that an actual famous verse Gollum? it rings a bell..

your travels give you a perspective, not a realistic viewpoint by any means.. the fact that you were able to visit america dictates you have wealth above average americans.. i would imagine that the vast majority could never do so..

There's something I like to call, "the fallacy of experience" in that argument.

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch........

? posted by Gwil

Is that an actual famous verse Gollum? it rings a bell..

"If" by Rudyard Kipling.

My country is extremely pissant. We have practically everything to envy to western countries, except maybe climate... Still, I'm lucky not to be born in China: dunno a single word of chinese! :smile:

...why do I have the impression that all the threads finally turn into US vs UK wars?

Kain said:
...why do I have the impression that all the threads finally turn into US vs UK wars?

Because they do.

Dont tar me with that UK brush :razz: I refuse to recognise this illegal coalition of states!

flashman said:
? posted by Gwil

Is that an actual famous verse Gollum? it rings a bell..

"If" by Rudyard Kipling.

me nods to learned friend thank you sir :smile:

Kain said:
...why do I have the impression that all the threads finally turn into US vs UK wars?

Brothers get into fights all the time for the most pointless reasons...

I'd hardly say 2 threads in about 3 weeks is "all threads" :razz: and derailments can't be helped.. restraint is needed by all.

It is harder to exercise it in reaction than it is in gesture.

whacks pe0ns with meat tenderiser

Gollum said:

Kain said:
...why do I have the impression that all the threads finally turn into US vs UK wars?

Because they do.

hardly all, but of late.. :rolleyes:

sadly i end up in some of them, in spite of the fact that i am so un-politically minded..

i kept my words on this subject rather muted the first couple of years i was here, for forum stability, but since the war, the innuendo has exceeded even my patience on the subject.

fortunately, the burning is with a far less intensive flame than they were before i joined the discussions... let us hope the trend continues.

my advice sir gwil, get a bigger stick, cause the peons have not been the issue of late :rolleyes:

Hah, well this went sort of downhill :smile:

My friends and I always laugh at films where the bad guy is either British, with a strong accent, or German, speaking english in a german accent Films at least never seem to show an american vilain :razz:

My friends and I always laugh at films where the bad guy is either British, with a strong accent, or German, speaking english in a german accent Films at least never seem to show an american vilain :razz:

Pfft, the best was Hans Gruber from Die Hard. He was supposed to be German, but he spoke with a distinctly english accent. :biggrin:

when i was younger, i lived in texas, and arizona, i had lots of mexican friends..

i used to ask them if the translation on the screen of a subtitled movie was actually what the mexican bad guy (or good guy) really said..

most times it was not..close but not what the subs said..

someday, i would like to compare notes with you gents on, is the actor really speaking german,japanese,ect,ect

also, i wanna compare notes in the opinion of, do movies truly stereotype.. germans always villainous, brits always saintly, ect,ect.

Brits always seem to be the clever ones, rather than the evil ones... Irish are criminals usually too

ahem Star Wars Universe, anyone?

As if the Chasing Amy conspiracy weren't enough, now we have the uncultured races of the galaxy uniting to bust up the Emperor's tea party on the Death Star. Sad story.

Leperous said:
Brits always seem to be the clever ones, rather than the evil ones... Irish are criminals usually too

irish are usually depicted as sots (alcoholics), and chinese as evil too ..

hmmm, interesting concepts.. i will definitely watch movies with interests in origins of characters from now on :smile: