American Appreciation Thread

The_Conductor

Neverwhere wrote: »

to whoever said americans are more accepting of other cultures.....

as someone who is half american....

i dont think its true. americans are simply OBLVIOUS to other cultures.

When world affairs only warrants a 1/3 page in the New York Times- is it any wonder? The US is such a massive place in its own right- its only natural that they focus on things closer to home that might actually impact on them. You or I may go to Greece, Egypt, Israel or any of a number of African countries- with ease- its an entirely different proposition for US citizens.......

getz

smccarrick wrote: »

When world affairs only warrants a 1/3 page in the New York Times- is it any wonder? The US is such a massive place in its own right- its only natural that they focus on things closer to home that might actually impact on them. You or I may go to Greece, Egypt, Israel or any of a number of African countries- with ease- its an entirely different proposition for US citizens.......

a few years ago in the place i worked in [in the uk] we had two americans both were married to english girls -one of the lads was from new york and the other from the north west coast as i noticed that they never seem to talk to each other ,i one day asked the new york lad why ,he said we have nothing in common,and i must remember that new york is closer to london that it is to seatle

acontadino

getz wrote: »

a few years ago in the place i worked in [in the uk] we had two americans both were married to english girls -one of the lads was from new york and the other from the north west coast as i noticed that they never seem to talk to each other ,i one day asked the new york lad why ,he said we have nothing in common,and i must remember that new york is closer to london that it is to seatle

yeah exactly.

Overheal

getz wrote: »

a few years ago in the place i worked in [in the uk] we had two americans both were married to english girls -one of the lads was from new york and the other from the north west coast as i noticed that they never seem to talk to each other ,i one day asked the new york lad why ,he said we have nothing in common,and i must remember that new york is closer to london that it is to seatle

Beautiful analogy but New York is closer to Seattle than it is to London by about 1200 miles.

smccarrick wrote: »

Oooh- Blue Oyster Club...... (you remember the sketch from Saturday Night Live too?)

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46074-2005Jan28.html

I got a fever! And the only prescription, is More Cowbell.

wyk

This may help clear up some of the confusion. I, too, occasionally have to remind even my fellow Americans why English is different in America than it is in , well, the rest of the world:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Webster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_American_Dictionary_of_the_English_Language

Basically, America has it's own English Dictionary.

WYK

smccarrick wrote: »

They spell it incorrectly too.
Dates back to a proof error in a Chambers dictionary in 1912 (aluminum that is).
As for the rest of the spelling and pronunciation errors- its pure laziness for the most part- and once you've accepted popular culture for long enough- people forget what the correct pronunciation/spelling/gramar is........ But then again- English is an evolving language. Its probably more accurate to suggest that American English is a dialect in its own right- rather than try to force 'proper' English down everyone's throats. The most annoying thing for me is not the weird US spellings and pronunciations- its the total disrespect that English people themselves have for their language. Have a wander around any of the larger cities and listen to the locals- their grammar and sentence structure is appalling (if you can make out what they're saying through the accents).

wyk

I, too, never thought I would see a thread such as this on Boards.ie...

I was born on a US military base in Japan. My Father's family came from German immigrants and is mixed with Cherokee Indian blood from Oklahoma pre Civil War. He also claimed they had some Dutch blood from a few centuries back. My mother was born in Korea by Japanese that had fled to Korea during WWII, then back to Japan afterwards. She also claims Chinese blood from a few centuries back. I speak German nearly conversationally(I am a little rusty nowadays that my Father has been gone so long) and a little Japanese. My middle name is Yoshi, and my last name is Keller. My Cherokee name is hard to pronounce and spell - it means 'Angry Badger'. I have family ties on both sides of the Revolutionary and the Civil War, and WWII on both fronts.

I am a Cherokee Indian. I am German. I am Japanese, and I am an American - I am one of 280,000,000 other Americans.

I spent much of my life traveling, the son of an American Air Force Sergeant. I settled down eventually in Texas. Central Texas is about the same distance from New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, that Dubin is from Russia. For example; Houston, Texas has more people in it's metro area than Ireland currently has in its entirety. The State of Texas is roughly 10 times the size of the ROI, is slightly larger than France, and has about 4.5X the population of Ireland, and like Ireland is now, was once it's own Nation and Republic under it's own government before joining the US and later the Confederacy, and then the US again. The city of Houston has a very eclectic mix of people, most of whom would be considered Americans. There are more than a couple of dialects, and more than a few different types of lifestyles. It has it's good areas, bad areas, and unique areas. It has it's own history, culture, and traditions. Houston is one city out of thousands, in one of 50 states. I consider myself a Texan first, and an American second, which is something many people outside of the States and Texas do not understand. It is part of the culture here.

Painting any country with a broad brush is going to be difficult. At best, we can rely on our own personal experiences, and as well as our own personal biases to understand and interpret other cultures and people.. I believe that criticism can define the character of the originator as much, or more so, than his subject.

For those that have pointed out America's assets - thank you. It is warming to see the appreciation. As someone whom has spent a couple years in Ireland, I know that compliments can be few and far between, especially about America. So, that does mean a lot, you're going out of your way to state them here. As we would say in Texas - I'm a might obliged.

For those that criticize - I'll take it to heart, and see if there's better that I can do as an American. I am only one voice in 280 million. But as many of your here know, Americans rarely are afraid to state their mind. It is part of who we are, and what we do. It is what has made the country run so far, it is what has brought us a new country, proud, and with the attitude that anything can be accomplished if one tries hard enough. We have stumbled, and we will stumble, and we will fall. But we will gather ourselves up, and continue on, and bring with ourselves the knowledge we gain through our endeavors. That is what we've done, and that is what we'll do - because we are Americans.

WYK

Overheal

Your name is Angry Badger Yoshi Keller?

What the hell dude.

wyk

Overheal wrote: »

Your name is Angry Badger Yoshi Keller?

What the hell dude.

Our Cherokee blood originally came from South Carolina, BTW. And, if you are familiar with the 'Trail Of Tears' you know a lot of Indian blood was displaced from there at one point.

I assume you've enjoyed the BBQ they have on offer thereabouts in SC?

Remember the Alamo - February 23 – March 6, 1836

WYK

Manic Moran

wyk wrote: »

Remember the Alamo - February 23 – March 6, 1836

Swung by there a few months ago, on the way home from Fort Knox. Interesting how they don't just consider it a monument or a place of interest, they consider it a shrine.

One of the six flags just inside the front door is an Irish tricolour, by the way. The list of dead has a few from that small green island...

NTM

Oblomov

In America, the crime clock continues to click: one murder every 22 minutes, one rape every 5 minutes, one robbery every 49 seconds, and one burglary every 10 seconds.

And the cost of crime continues to mount: $78 billion for the criminal justice system, $64 billion for private protection, $202 billion in loss of life and work, $120 billion in crimes against business, $60 billion in stolen goods and fraud, $40 billion from drug abuse, and $110 billion from drunk driving. When you add up all the costs, crime costs Americans a stunning $675 billion each year.

In addition to the financial cost is the psychological cost of devastated lives and a loss of security. In recent months, even apathetic Americans have been shaken from their false sense of security as they have seen criminals invade nearly every sanctuary where they felt they were safe: their cars (James Jordan); their public transit (the Long Island Rail Road murders by Colin Ferguson); and even their bedrooms (the abduction of Polly Klaas).

Past solutions seem ineffective. Massive spending on social programs, massive spending on prisons, and sweeping changes in sentences seem to have little effect. No wonder there is such anger and a clamor for change.

Current Trends in Crime

1.The Crime Rate Is Increasing.
The recent string of heinous crimes does not represent a sudden wave of crime in America. Violent crime actually has been steadily increasing since the 1960s (though violent crime rates did dip for a time during the early 1980s). But in addition to the steady increase of crime has been the changing nature of these crimes. For example, there has been a pronounced increase in the prevalence of stranger-on-stranger robberies and drive-by shootings.

2. Teenagers Are Responsible for a Disproportionate Share of Violent Crime.
The violent-crime rate seems to rise and fall in tandem with the number of teens in the population. But recently, teen violence has exploded (murder arrests of teens jumped 92 percent since 1985) during a period in which the teen population remained steady or declined.

3.The Median Age of Criminals Is Dropping.
The perception that criminals are getting younger is backed up by statistics. In 1982, 390 teens ages 13-15 were arrested for murder. A decade later, this total jumped to 740.

4. A Majority of the Crimes Are Committed by Habitual Criminals.
Criminologist Marvin Wolfgang compiled arrest records for males born and raised in Philadelphia (in 1945 and in 1958). He found that just 7 percent in each age group committed two-thirds of all violent crime. This included three-fourths of the rapes and robberies, and nearly all of the murders. They also found that this 7 percent had five or more arrests before the age of 18.

5. Crime Does Pay: Most Criminals Are Not Caught or Convicted.
Consider these statistics compiled by professor Morgan Reynolds (Texas A&M University) concerning burglary:

* 500,000 burglaries take place each month

* 250,000 of these are reported to the police

* 35,000 arrests are made

* 30,450 prosecutions take place

* 24,060 are convicted

* 6,010 are sent to prison; the rest paroled

Of the 500,0000 burglaries, only 6,000 burglars went to jail! And if this 1 percent effectiveness ratio isn't disturbing enough, professor Reynolds found that the average time served was only 13 months.




Is this the same wonderful place you'll talking about?

Rented Mule

Manic Moran wrote: »

Swung by there a few months ago, on the way home from Fort Knox. Interesting how they don't just consider it a monument or a place of interest, they consider it a shrine.

One of the six flags just inside the front door is an Irish tricolour, by the way. The list of dead has a few from that small green island...

NTM

The Alamo is a pretty amazing site when you first see it nestled in the middle of a modern city.

San Antonio is a great little town.

Rented Mule

Oblomov wrote: »

In addition to the financial cost is the psychological cost of devastated lives and a loss of security. In recent months, even apathetic Americans have been shaken from their false sense of security as they have seen criminals invade nearly every sanctuary where they felt they were safe: their cars (James Jordan); their public transit (the Long Island Rail Road murders bColin Ferguson); and even their bedrooms (the abduction of Polly Klaas).

Is this the same wonderful place you'll talking about?

Are you kidding me ?? The people/crimes talked about in that paragraph happened in 1994 LMAO

Way to keep on top of things.

Cutting and pasting without any real appreciation for the subject matter is a dangerous thing. Well done....BRAVO.

This may be a breaking news story in your world.

wyk

Yes, those cited cases were quite a while ago. However, the crime rate in the US overall is higher than most western European countries, in general.

I've been closely monitoring the crime rates in the US VS abroad recently. We have more poor, more desperate immigrants, and more places to hide in the US. We also have relatively easy access to guns and weapons. However, the FBI statistic show that the vast majority of violent crime and murder victims are criminals themselves. The violent crime rate tends to be high while the petty crime rates tend to be low - especially compared to Ireland and the UK. If you take out cities like Detroit, East St. Louis, Oakland, East LA, the cities most Americans have never been to, and often avoid purposely, the crime rates are actually lower in the US. Having said this, I did a 6 month contract in St Louis not too long ago. It reminded me of Limerick. Uh, only I could actually understand what most people were saying And, of course, I was armed, as St Louis, and Missouri - the state it is in, recognize my Texas State-issued handgun concealment license.

But, as anyone in the States will tell you - freedom comes at a price. You'll recall in my previous post that Texas had 10X the land mass than the ROI. Well, we only have 4-5X the amount of people. So there is a lot of country out there, and not a lot of police to police it. It varies by state how they go about protecting their citizens. In Texas, we have local sheriffs, metro police, constables(county), state police, and the Rangers. However, by and large, you are personally responsible for your own safety in Texas. The police...well, they police. They are not body guards. They patrol as often and as much as possible, but they can not be everywhere every time. Thus, as a law-abiding citizen of Texas you may carry knives, mace, pepper spray, and even a gun on your person if you so choose. You may use lethal force to defend your property, let alone your self or a loved one, or your home.

Many misdemenor offenses also become felony offenses under cover of darkness in Texas. Unlike in Ireland where you must prove you used the correct force necessary in any altercation, regardless of when, how, or where - In Texas, you may used lethal force at anytime someone is illegally threatening your life or to harm you, or an innocent bystander, or if they are trespassing or stealing from your property. Fair to the criminals - no matter how petty? No. But, I am fine with that.

Even so, few people are willing to kill someone for trespassing or even stealing. What usually happens is the homeowner or property owner will notify the police and then shows up with a gun and will 'ask' the offender to leave if they feel the need. Do you legally have this option in Ireland when someone starts causing trouble on your property? I recall a certain farmer that ended up paying the price when trouble came knocking. We'll ignore the fact that only criminals may possess firearms in Ireland without approval of the Gardai, as well.

Yes, Texas still has violent crime. Yes, if you cause trouble or run about drunk at night like I have seen many Irish around parts of Tallaght, you could end up shot. But, as most of us know, there's plenty of people stabbed in Tallaght as it is. And, to be quite honest, I have seen plenty of hooligans on the Luas and in Dublin that really, and honestly, should have been shot long ago. At the every least, back in the States, the police would have done this for you, if not an armed citizen. In Ireland, you don't even really have that option.

Home invasions are unheard of here - as it is a shooting offense. As are car jackings, and theft. I currently park my truck in the driveway unlocked, as I have done for years. Sometimes I leave the windows open because it can get hot here(it was 28* yesterday). The front door to my house was open most of the day. These are things I never would contemplate doing in Dublin or anywhere remotely close to dublin, Limerick, Cork, Galway, etc. While in Dublin my car was broken into 4 times in the year I owned one. That is exactly 4 times more often than in Texas over my lifetime (I'm nearly 40). The car was also vandalized on several occasions. Hooliganism, vandalism, and all manner of anti social crime is nearly unheard of in most parts of Texas. In Dublin, and many parts of the UK, it's a part of life.

I still have a visa for Ireland. But I am comfy right here in Texas for now. I will visit come summer, though.

WYK

Rented Mule wrote: »

Are you kidding me ?? The people talked about in that paragraph happened in 1994 LMAO

Way to keep on top to things.

Cutting and pasting without any real appreciation for the subject matter is a dangerous thing. Well done....BRAVO.

Neverwhere

wyk...i can see where you are coming from.

Thuggery is pretty bad in dublin, but if you think its bad in Ireland the UK is even worse. (i spend half my time in oxford)

I'm torn on the issue of guns. I havent got the studies on me atm, but I remember reading about an american city last year where concealed firearms were allowed. Crime dropped massively as no one knew who was holding a gun, and with the increased chance of getting shot, no one wanted to risk it. I can see that upside, and some downsides as well.

AS for me, I learned to fight with knives, and if I feel unsafe anywhere, i carry a smallish knife around with me to use for self defense. Yeah it may be illegal, but I'd rather stab someone with an illegally concealed weapon than get raped again yeah?

Puddleduck

What I want to know is how do all americans know there heritage? Im irish but I havent a clue where my ancestors came from..I dont really get why it matters, I was born in Ireland so Im irish...

The_Conductor

wyk wrote: »

Yes, those cited cases were quite a while ago. However, the crime rate in the US overall is higher than most western European countries, in general.

Its very much a generalisation- we have crime blackspots along with anecdotal tales of certain types of crime being prevalent in certain areas, identical to the manner things are in the US. Using 15 year old statistics is quite frankly ridiculous- as you are only looking at historic data.

wyk wrote: »

I've been closely monitoring the crime rates in the US VS abroad recently. We have more poor, more desperate immigrants, and more places to hide in the US. We also have relatively easy access to guns and weapons. However, the FBI statistic show that the vast majority of violent crime and murder victims are criminals themselves. The violent crime rate tends to be high while the petty crime rates tend to be low - especially compared to Ireland and the UK. If you take out cities like Detroit, East St. Louis, Oakland, East LA, the cities most Americans have never been to, and often avoid purposely, the crime rates are actually lower in the US. Having said this, I did a 6 month contract in St Louis not too long ago. It reminded me of Limerick. Uh, only I could actually understand what most people were saying And, of course, I was armed, as St Louis, and Missouri - the state it is in, recognize my Texas State-issued handgun concealment license.

Many European countries would dispute whether the US has more poor and desperate immigrants than the EU has. Over 14 times more illegal immigrants die trying to reach Europe every year, than die trying to reach the US. Our illegal immigrants, once they reach our shores, may not be quite as desperate as those in the US- but that is more a reflection of centralised EU policies for dealing with immigrants, a charter of rights for them, and a manner of attributing protections to those who may fear repercussions should they attempt to return home. These rights are enshrined in a number of conventions- the Irish are particularly proud of the Dublin convention and the manner in which immigrants can be parceled out to the different member states. Certain states do bare an unfair burden (Spain and Italy for example) but our systems do work.

We also have relative ease of access to firearms here. They may not be legally held- but the place is flooded with Eastern European firearms. Anyone in reasonable standing can apply for rifle or shotgun. We may not carry the concealed handguns that you do- but we have access to them if we want them.

Our crime statistics show identical trends to yours- the vast majority of violent crimes and murder victims tend to be among the criminal gangs themselves. Absolutely no difference. We even have regular army patrols in 2 areas to keep gangs apart from each other- similar to what happens in Philly.

When you alude to your petty crime rate being lower than it is in Ireland or the UK- cognisance has to be taken of the often mandatory 3 strikes and your out policies in many US states- and the fact that the US has far and away the highest portion of its own citizens behind bars at any time- its almost 6 times the Irish imprisonment rate (which is also deeply flawed- where someone can be jailed for failure to pay their TV licence for example). We have some very enlightened judges- who are far more likely to impose non-custodial sentences than their US counterparts. There is a lot to be said for having a petty thief spend 50 hours tidying to local cemetary- or attached to the local tidy-towns committee as their dogs body......

We have areas similar to Detroit, East St. Louis, Oakland or East LA. People keep away from them, as to venture their is a risk. Think of O'Malley Park in Limerick, parts of Coolock in Dublin, Falls road in Belfast etc. Its simple intelligence- you exercise caution. Not only am I unarmed when I do have to venture in these areas- but were I to have my rifle in the boot, I'd be the one arrested and sent to jail. I am satisfied with this. We have abdicated responsibility for our safety to our police force and our armed forces. For the most part they do a bloody good job- as evidenced by the fact that over 97% of gunshot victims are known criminals themselves.

wyk wrote: »

But, as anyone in the States will tell you - freedom comes at a price. You'll recall in my previous post that Texas had 10X the land mass than the ROI. Well, we only have 4-5X the amount of people. So there is a lot of country out there, and not a lot of police to police it. It varies by state how they go about protecting their citizens. In Texas, we have local sheriffs, metro police, constables(county), state police, and the Rangers. However, by and large, you are personally responsible for your own safety in Texas. The police...well, they police. They are not body guards. They patrol as often and as much as possible, but they can not be everywhere every time. Thus, as a law-abiding citizen of Texas you may carry knives, mace, pepper spray, and even a gun on your person if you so choose. You may use lethal force to defend your property, let alone your self or a loved one, or your home.

Freedom does come at a price.
You should stop to think every now and then- just what that price is, and should the price be changed to reflect societal changes.
I accept that Texas is simply enormous- and that it has vast swathes of unoccuppied countryside (Ireland which you are comparing Texas with, has in turn the lowest population density in the EU- so you're not exaggerating by any means). While you suggest that people should have responsibility for their own safety- allowing them to shoot trespassers is surely a step too far? I am all in favour of using force to defend yourself or our property- and we do here- however there are many different levels of force beneath lethal force. Baseball bats, hurleys, golf clubs etc- are the norm here. We even have joke about which type of golf club is best. I know my loved one would have a hard time forgiving me were I to shoot someone- albeit in self defense.

wyk wrote: »

Many misdemenor offenses also become felony offenses under cover of darkness in Texas.

Aka- out of sight, out of mind......

wyk wrote: »

Unlike in Ireland where you must prove you used the correct force necessary in any altercation, regardless of when, how, or where - In Texas, you may used lethal force at anytime someone is illegally threatening your life or to harm you, or an innocent bystander, or if they are trespassing or stealing from your property. Fair to the criminals - no matter how petty? No. But, I am fine with that.

I'm sorry. I can't accept the rationale behind this. If someone tries to rob me- he is going to get a beating- not shot. I disagree fundamentally with the notion of lethal force. Even the police can sandbag someone- it'll probably break a few ribs if they shoot right- but it won't kill them. Why is it considered fair game to use lethal force. Its just not necessary given the alternates, in the modern world.

wyk wrote: »

Even so, few people are willing to kill someone for trespassing or even stealing. What usually happens is the homeowner or property owner will notify the police and then shows up with a gun and will 'ask' the offender to leave if they feel the need. Do you legally have this option in Ireland when someone starts causing trouble on your property? I recall a certain farmer that ended up paying the price when trouble came knocking. We'll ignore the fact that only criminals may possess firearms in Ireland without approval of the Gardai, as well.

I'm relieved to hear that lethal force is rarely used. No- we most certainly do not have the right to shoot someone who is causing trouble here in Ireland. We do have the right to self-defense however, and its not spelt out what exactly this entails. Re: the farmer who shot the guy who was stealing from his farm- it was a criminal case in front of a jury of his peers, and he was acquited. The family of the deceased took a civil suit, which also failed.

wyk wrote: »

Yes, Texas still has violent crime. Yes, if you cause trouble or run about drunk at night like I have seen many Irish around parts of Tallaght, you could end up shot. But, as most of us know, there's plenty of people stabbed in Tallaght as it is. And, to be quite honest, I have seen plenty of hooligans on the Luas and in Dublin that really, and honestly, should have been shot long ago. At the every least, back in the States, the police would have done this for you, if not an armed citizen. In Ireland, you don't even really have that option.

If you cause trouble or run about drunk at night in Tallaght- you will probably end up beaten. Tallaght is a massive unemployment blackspot- it has the highest percentage of unemployment in the whole country- and a very high population density- so you have a lot of unemployed people, reliant on social welfare payments and ignored by the government. Its like Detroit on a small scale. Its not a good example.

wyk wrote: »

Home invasions are unheard of here - as it is a shooting offense. As are car jackings, and theft. I currently park my truck in the driveway unlocked, as I have done for years. Sometimes I leave the windows open because it can get hot here(it was 28* yesterday). The front door to my house was open most of the day. These are things I never would contemplate doing in Dublin or anywhere remotely close to dublin, Limerick, Cork, Galway, etc. While in Dublin my car was broken into 4 times in the year I owned one. That is exactly 4 times more often than in Texas over my lifetime (I'm nearly 40). The car was also vandalized on several occasions. Hooliganism, vandalism, and all manner of anti social crime is nearly unheard of in most parts of Texas. In Dublin, and many parts of the UK, it's a part of life.

Home invasions are rare here- and the Irish police have a very good detection and conviction rate against perpetrators. Certainly- the knowledge that you stood a high likelyhood of being shot is a good deterent- but surely this is a reflection of a failing on the part of law and order in Texas, that people have to resort to these measures, and an indication of the reasonable levels of success the Irish judiciary have?

I don't leave my car unlocked here. Nor do I leave my house unlocked. I've been driving in the Dublin area and live in Dublin for over 20 years. My house has never been broken into, nor has my car ever been robbed. I choose to have the badges removed from my car by the dealership- so the specification and engine are not on display, and I do not leave personal belongings on open display when I park the car. I exercise what I consider to be reasonable levels of caution- and have never had to change my behaviour. My car has also never been vandalised or keyed, and there is no antisocial behaviour where I live. We have a residents committee and a management company- and have evicted families who broke the rules. I believe this is fair. I'm in my mid 30s- and have lived abroad a lot- I feel a lot safer at home than I do in any of a large and varied number of other foreign towns and cities.

Vandalism and hooliganism is not part of everyday life here by any means- it is the exception, rather than the rule- and even then it tends to be confined to certain areas. Perhaps you were unlucky.

wyk wrote: »

I still have a visa for Ireland. But I am comfy right here in Texas for now. I will visit come summer, though. WYK

You are more than welcome to visit. As the joke goes- the only difference between the winter and the summer here is the rain gets a little warmer in the summer...... I love the crisp dry winter days here- its great weather for hiking and enjoying the countryside. When you do come to visit- make sure you see the real Ireland- not the towns and cities, but also not the tourist traps. While I am certain Texas has a lot to offer- I love my country.

Neverwhere

smccarrick wrote: »

When world affairs only warrants a 1/3 page in the New York Times- is it any wonder? The US is such a massive place in its own right- its only natural that they focus on things closer to home that might actually impact on them. You or I may go to Greece, Egypt, Israel or any of a number of African countries- with ease- its an entirely different proposition for US citizens.......

i totally missed your post there. I'm speaking as an american here, and I disagree. I am not just talking about current affairs. I could post conversations if you would like.

It just seems to me that a lot of americans (note: NOT a generalisation and speaking from experieince of all the people i know/have met/talked to etc) are concerened with nothing but the small bubble that surrounds them. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that necessarily, it just surprises me and strikes me as fairly small minded.

Gone Drinking

Americans make me laugh, thats why i love them..

See here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXiAivAh6WM

The_Conductor

Neverwhere wrote: »

i totally missed your post there. I'm speaking as an american here, and I disagree. I am not just talking about current affairs. I could post conversations if you would like.

It just seems to me that a lot of americans (note: NOT a generalisation and speaking from experieince of all the people i know/have met/talked to etc) are concerened with nothing but the small bubble that surrounds them. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that necessarily, it just surprises me and strikes me as fairly small minded.

Sorry- what I meant is there is a lot happening in their vicinity that we never hear about, that may be more relevant to their every day lives.

Certainly there are lots of people living inside little bubbles- but thats far from unique to the US. Keep in mind the biggest selling daily newspaper in Ireland and the UK is The Sun- with its page 3 topless models. What does that tell you?

In general the smaller countries in Europe (and elsewhere) have historically kept an eye on their neighbours (for good obvious reasons), and continue to do so. Though we may be a larger block than the US- we do not have the homogeny of population that the US has (this is a generalisation- I am well aware of the propensity for certain ethnic groups to clump together even in the states). Its a matter of trust as much as anything else. We do not trust our neighbours- and they don't trust theirs. Given all the wars, occupations, repressions and genocide that has happened down the years- is it any wonder? The major US issue is more a jealousy of certain states by the residents of others- or the manner in which sales taxes are applied or not applied, the carrying of firearms or any of a number of different interest items that are catered for in one state, but not in another.

Just a few thoughts.....

asdasd

This thread should be moderated to remove the anti-Americans. There are enough threads for that and the OP clearly asked for good vibes about America, he did not want a debate, and I think the original post should determine the nature of the thread.

Are you kidding me ?? The people/crimes talked about in that paragraph happened in 1994 LMAO

Quite. violent crime has fallen of a cliff since the early 90's in the US, unlike Ireland. There are, in fact, controversial opinions on why - some say increases in abortion, some say increases in detention, but nobody disputes the figures.

so Oblamov figures are totally useless.

asdasd

Also the New York Times has pages on International affairs, although it is unique in that. Papers like the San Jose Mercury news, are just local news, and opinions.

Neverwhere

smccarrick wrote: »

Sorry- what I meant is there is a lot happening in their vicinity that we never hear about, that may be more relevant to their every day lives.

Certainly there are lots of people living inside little bubbles- but thats far from unique to the US. Keep in mind the biggest selling daily newspaper in Ireland and the UK is The Sun- with its page 3 topless models. What does that tell you?

In general the smaller countries in Europe (and elsewhere) have historically kept an eye on their neighbours (for good obvious reasons), and continue to do so. Though we may be a larger block than the US- we do not have the homogeny of population that the US has (this is a generalisation- I am well aware of the propensity for certain ethnic groups to clump together even in the states). Its a matter of trust as much as anything else. We do not trust our neighbours- and they don't trust theirs. Given all the wars, occupations, repressions and genocide that has happened down the years- is it any wonder? The major US issue is more a jealousy of certain states by the residents of others- or the manner in which sales taxes are applied or not applied, the carrying of firearms or any of a number of different interest items that are catered for in one state, but not in another.

Just a few thoughts.....

oh dont get me wrong, i definately agree with you in most cases there.

I'm more talking about massive things happening world wide. One glaringly obbvious one, although it is old, would be the Rwandan masscre in 1994.

Like I said, I didn't really mean current affairs so much as I meant general knowledge.

It's true a lot happens in one area. Example: where im from in new jersey was pretty horrific school wise. You wouldnt give a sugar what was happening with the school system. EVen events like columbine and VA Tech would seem distant. The high school was so bad you would have letters coming home every week notifying parents that the gun brought into school on tuesday wasnt actually loaded....or happened to be a fake etc. You'd hear about a school shooting in another state and just worry that the story might strike a chord with one of your classmates.

Needless to say homeschool percentages were extremely high in my area.

buynow

With regard to world view or knowledge.

When I moved to the US, I found that the world looks different from the US than from Ireland. What I mean is the coverage is different. There is still world coverage but it is not the same as at home.

I mean take the Irish media version of the world (I am making these figures up but from paying attention to it, it is my approximation)

UK 25%, Europe 20% , US 20%, Africa 5%, mid east 10% , asia 10%, austrailia 5%, south america 5%

The US version would be:
Europe (including uk) 25%, mid east 25% asia 20% africa 10% south america 20%.

As a result the rest of the world looks poorer from the US. maybe only 30% of the coverage is about first world countries. From Ireland 70% is about first world countries.

It also results in different knowledge levels of the world. You also need to make more of an effort to read the world coverage, - read the new york times (which is a national paper), or listen to NPR etc

asdasd

mid east 25%

Of which, Israel 24%.

Ireland is over-covered in the NYT relative to it's size, too. I think.

buynow

Well relative to size all media gets it wrong. If that was the case half of the world stories would be about China and India. And this is not the case (maybe in the lead up to the olympics for China).

But it should be expected that the coverage would be about places people are interested in and have connections to.

Hazys

asdasd wrote: »

Of which, Israel 24%.

I guess the other 1% is on Iraq then...:pac:

The_Conductor

I disagree- we don't really associate European affairs with world affairs or knowledge here- there will be liberal references to the ECB, the German chancellor, French farmers etc- scattered throughout our papers. World affairs to us is- the US, Africa, The Middle East, China, Asia, South America, Cuba (seperately), Australia, Canada etc. International topics however will be tend to be nationality neutral- for example topics about the sciences or communications. The reason we have a lot of UK coverage- is they are still our major trading partner, we are part of a free movement area with them- and are very much affected by their actions (or inactions). Pretty much everything else is treated on its relative merits

Hazys

buynow wrote: »

With regard to world view or knowledge.

When I moved to the US, I found that the world looks different from the US than from Ireland. What I mean is the coverage is different. There is still world coverage but it is not the same as at home.

I mean take the Irish media version of the world (I am making these figures up but from paying attention to it, it is my approximation)

UK 25%, Europe 20% , US 20%, Africa 5%, mid east 10% , asia 10%, austrailia 5%, south america 5%

The US version would be:
Europe (including uk) 25%, mid east 25% asia 20% africa 10% south america 20%.

As a result the rest of the world looks poorer from the US. maybe only 30% of the coverage is about first world countries. From Ireland 70% is about first world countries.

It also results in different knowledge levels of the world. You also need to make more of an effort to read the world coverage, - read the new york times (which is a national paper), or listen to NPR etc

Yes this is true alright.

I have only recently moved to Boston but my map of the world is still stuck on the map that used to be up on my primary school wall i.e. Europe is the center and on the far West you have the americas and on the far East you have asia.

So i was getting a new laptop which was made in the centre of China and i was tracking it on FedEx. I watched my package move for the center of China to the East of China and i was like WTF they're going the wrong way, now its going to take them forever to get across asia, middle east europe and then to Boston!!!!!

The next day it was in Alaska...thats when i relised I'm an idiot.

Neverwhere

As for media coverage I still get my ****s and giggles from americans who are convinced ireland is a third world country and that we all live in castles and dont use electricity. xD true story.

now back on topic......

As for appreciating america, I really love the weather. Thats the one part I miss....the scorch summers. And i really miss the changes that happen in the autumn. such beautiful colours!

buynow

Well maybe it is not under the "world" section in the paper.

But if you take the coverage of the world outside of Europe and North America(where 80% of the population live). There is as much if not more coverage in the US media as there is in the Irish media.

The other point is the presentation of the world beyond the border. From the US it looks different than from Ireland.

Rented Mule

Puddleduck wrote: »

What I want to know is how do all americans know there heritage? Im irish but I havent a clue where my ancestors came from..I dont really get why it matters, I was born in Ireland so Im irish...

This is due to a few factors, most notably political correctness which is another topic in itself.

In regards to be called 'Irish American', well.....you can blame the Irish who emigrated to Ireland for that one, and thi is how it played out.

I was a barman for many years in the States, and I used to deal with the Irish quite a bit. A friend of mine from Galway asked me 'why do all of these Yanks think they are Irish?'. I told him that I would explain to him one day.

A few years later we were at the christening of his son. I wlaked up to him and said 'show me my new countryman !!'

He proceded to scream 'that child is Irish and don't you forget it'.

I have done this at at least two dozen christenings of children who were born to Irish parents. These kids grow up and do the exact same thing to their kids, so the cycle continues on and on.

Another factor was that in the 'big cities' each new ethnic group lived in ghettos (yes it wasn't just a place for black people) made up of their own nationality. Therefore everyone in these neighborhoods were Irish, Itlalian, German etc

The last and final thing is that this is how Ireland was 'marketed' to Americans. Remember that agriculture and tourism was what was paying the bills around here for the last 50 years or so.

wyk

smccarrick wrote: »

When you alude to your petty crime rate being lower than it is in Ireland or the UK- cognisance has to be taken of the often mandatory 3 strikes and your out policies in many US states- and the fact that the US has far and away the highest portion of its own citizens behind bars at any time- its almost 6 times the Irish imprisonment rate (which is also deeply flawed- where someone can be jailed for failure to pay their TV licence for example). We have some very enlightened judges- who are far more likely to impose non-custodial sentences than their US counterparts. There is a lot to be said for having a petty thief spend 50 hours tidying to local cemetary- or attached to the local tidy-towns committee as their dogs body......

The 3 strikes law is for felons. And, in practice, because of the 3 strikes law the judges are LESS likely to convict you on a felony for your first and 3rd times. They tend to knock the punishment down to multiple misdemenors if at all possible(assuming you do not go on murderous rampages). Getting your first felony depends on how bad the offense is. The laws vary wildly among the states. In Texas, killing someone intentionally during the process of a crime is nearly guaranteed a capital offense. But carrying a gun on you illegally(say, a previous felony conviction from long ago prevents you from carrying a concealed weapon, or being a minor) will often end up being a misdemenor conviction VS a felony for first time offenders.

If the crime were a misdemenor to start - vandalism, petty theft, etc. you will certainly get community service as part of your conviction. You all know those nice Zippo lighters we make in Pennsylvania? That's made by convicted criminals that didn't qualify for work programs. I know a guy who got 144 hours of community service for breaking into a church. He ended up helping build a very nice stone entryway to the church - bless him.

But, yes, most States certainly treat crime more harshly than they do in Ireland. If you steal a car, and do not damage it, you will still most likely be charged with grand theft auto - in most states this is a felony offense and a guaranteed first strike. Your first car theft, assuming the vehicle was recovered unharmed, can land you in jail for up to 5-7 years depending on circumstances and the value of the vehicle. So even 'normal' crime is treated rather heavily in many places.

Not only am I unarmed when I do have to venture in these areas- but were I to have my rifle in the boot, I'd be the one arrested and sent to jail. I am satisfied with this. We have abdicated responsibility for our safety to our police force and our armed forces. For the most part they do a bloody good job- as evidenced by the fact that over 97% of gunshot victims are known criminals themselves.

I had no trouble with that while I was in Ireland myself (though I did carry a large folding knife on me most the time knowing full well the worst would happen is I would be deported since I worked with the Gardai most of the time.

Bear in mind that it is not legal by Federal law for the armed forces to police citizens in America. ONLY citizens can police citizens in the States. The FBI, State Troopers, Texas Rangers, etc.are all citizens, and not soldiers. The reason for this law came about after the Civil War, where atrocities were committed by soldiers while policing the South afterwards. Soldiers whom we're basically acting with impunity as most soldiers can do, and were not individually accountable for their actions as they are 'following orders'. Soldiers, even in the States, also have access to far more force than is generally necessary to keep the peace. Thus, between the past proven tendencies to use more force than necessary, and with near impunity, it is not legal for the military to police US citizens. If it is the situation where there is more trouble than the local governments can tackle with their police forces, only the national guard and the local state guards are allowed to intervene under civilian guidance(usually the Governor).. Yes, each and every state have their own guards. Some are bigger than others. - http://www.agd.state.tx.us/

Freedom does come at a price.
You should stop to think every now and then- just what that price is, and should the price be changed to reflect societal changes.
I accept that Texas is simply enormous- and that it has vast swathes of unoccuppied countryside (Ireland which you are comparing Texas with, has in turn the lowest population density in the EU- so you're not exaggerating by any means). While you suggest that people should have responsibility for their own safety- allowing them to shoot trespassers is surely a step too far? I am all in favour of using force to defend yourself or our property- and we do here- however there are many different levels of force beneath lethal force. Baseball bats, hurleys, golf clubs etc- are the norm here. We even have joke about which type of golf club is best. I know my loved one would have a hard time forgiving me were I to shoot someone- albeit in self defense.

That attitude here would get you shot. I am sure you have heard the term "Don't bring a knife to a gunfight." Though Jim Bowie might disagree(he has won at least 2 documented gunfights with a knife), I am no Bowie. Here, any fight can easily escalate to a shooting. And if I were to attack you, unarmed, you are well within your right to shoot me in your defense in Texas. Guns created this State, they have always been here in large numbers and easily accessible, and they always will be. In view of these facts, what choice do we have but to allow the citizens to use the same power criminals may use upon them? Harsh? Yes, no doubt about it. But the amount of fighting that happens here is quite low. And the last time I was threatened by someone with bodily harm while I was working in a warehouse district, all I had to do with show him a gun and suggest he might rethink his options. No beating and no crime ensued afterwards. Again, the law is set to skew towards the law-abiding VS the criminals here.

I'm sorry. I can't accept the rationale behind this. If someone tries to rob me- he is going to get a beating- not shot. I disagree fundamentally with the notion of lethal force. Even the police can sandbag someone- it'll probably break a few ribs if they shoot right- but it won't kill them. Why is it considered fair game to use lethal force. Its just not necessary given the alternates, in the modern world.

As I said, that attitude will turn you into a victim here in Texas. It may also turn you into a corpse in Dublin as well if you are stabbed or beaten badly enough while robbed. While over there, you might end up beaten at worse, and the police have, though they have numbers on their side, may be able to sandbag someone, it is quite a different situation here.

Remember, the citizens are armed, and have always been armed. This also means the criminals are armed. You sandbag someone and break a few ribs, it MIGHT stop them or put them down. Meanwhile the lead they are shooting at you is killing you. Less-then-lethal force options are here - tasers, pepper spray etc. But when met WITH lethal force, you use lethal force. Sand bags et al, are only used by the police if there is a riot or if they want to aprehend someone whom has no weapon. As a civilian, you are not expected to be legally forced to arrest someone or otherwise detain them. This is a very dangerous thing to do in an armed society. Ask any of our policemen. Thus, criminals are on notice that causing any sort of trouble on someone's property invites death, and that all the laws will favor the property owner. In other words, stop causing trouble and trouble won't find you. Again, the law is on the side of the law-abiding.

The trespassing laws and laws protecting property are not meant to be fair to criminals. They are intentionally meant to skew the law in favor of the law-abiding. Too far for you, perhaps. Being used to them myself, and seeing the actions of troublemakers in places that do not have these laws, I find them quite effective.

There are places in Texas that the police are an hour away. Thirty minute response in many parts of the State are common. For that 30 minutes to an hour, YOU are the law on your own property in Texas when it comes to defending it from trespassers, thieves, and troublemakers in general - let alone those that might try and beat you or kill you, rape your wife, kill your children, etc.. That is a gift of freedom the government grants you for being the peacable citizen, and the bane it grants the criminal. It is only fair to the law-abiding citizen. It is purposely unfair to the criminal. I would have it no other way. And I think it's absurd to want it any other way, unless you yourself cause trouble.

But, as I said earlier, perhaps living in Dublin has gotten folks used to the petty crime, the vandalism, the fact you are nearly forced to remove anything from your car that is of value, including the badges which may invite theft of the vehicle itself. Here, in Texas, I need not concern myself with any of those things the vast majority of the time.

I'm relieved to hear that lethal force is rarely used. No- we most certainly do not have the right to shoot someone who is causing trouble here in Ireland. We do have the right to self-defense however, and its not spelt out what exactly this entails. Re: the farmer who shot the guy who was stealing from his farm- it was a criminal case in front of a jury of his peers, and he was acquited. The family of the deceased took a civil suit, which also failed.

If that farmer lived in Texas, he would have been regarded as a hero in the press, by the civilians, by the police and government, and assuming the police investigation confirmed his story, would have never had to worry about any legal or criminal recourse beyond the first week or so the investigation was carried out. In other words, he would not have the need to be acquitted of anything as he acted legally in the first place. How much time, money, and effort and stress was there on the farmer, his friends and family, AND your country to prove himself innocent of murder? That's a big difference between our laws.

Home invasions are rare here- and the Irish police have a very good detection and conviction rate against perpetrators. Certainly- the knowledge that you stood a high likelyhood of being shot is a good deterent- but surely this is a reflection of a failing on the part of law and order in Texas, that people have to resort to these measures, and an indication of the reasonable levels of success the Irish judiciary have?

Quite the opposite. It allows the law to pursue more important issues more of the time as either the land owner takes care of business, or the crime just simply does not happen due to the fact the offense allows the citizen to use force. We have a saying here when people talk about causing trouble, "That's just gonna get you shot". I believe the Irish equivalent is, "Sounds like a grand time! Now, pass me that hurley."

I don't leave my car unlocked here. Nor do I leave my house unlocked.

Of course not, you invite trouble there, as you would in certain places in the States as well. However, I thought it was an indication of the type of place Dublin was when I found that virtually every door in the city automatically locked itself when closed. That was something that took me some getting used to. At first it seemed paranoid, but then I started to see the light...

I choose to have the badges removed from my car by the dealership- so the specification and engine are not on display, and I do not leave personal belongings on open display when I park the car. I exercise what I consider to be reasonable levels of caution- and have never had to change my behaviour.

I think your behavior says more than your intended point here. I do not have to take any such precautions where I live, nor do I feel or have a need to.

You are more than welcome to visit. As the joke goes- the only difference between the winter and the summer here is the rain gets a little warmer in the summer...... I love the crisp dry winter days here- its great weather for hiking and enjoying the countryside. When you do come to visit- make sure you see the real Ireland- not the towns and cities, but also not the tourist traps. While I am certain Texas has a lot to offer- I love my country.

As I stated previously, I have a Visa for Ireland, and have lived and worked there for 2 years previous, as well as have visited Ireland off and on for the decades previous. I even played Baseball on a couple of the Dublin area teams. Last year was the first time I spent any major time in the major cities in Ireland - Belfast, Galway, Limerick, Dublin, etc. It was an eye-opening experience. I also spent a lot of time out in the country, have visited the 6-counties up north, and having been down to Waterford, west to Clare, and up to Donegal, and most in between. I intend to see Cork my next visit.

Ireland is a GORGEOUS country. But we all know that

This thread is about the good things in America. It's easy to slag off folks when they aren't there to defend themselves. I see that in most the threads here about America, along with a stunning amount of ignorance of America, how it works, and it's people. I could say a LOT about the Irish folks I have seen on these boards...but I don't care to, nor do I need to. They have, with their own words, shown what value and substance they bring to the conversation.

In the end, it is refreshing to see a pro-American thread that is almost mostly pro-American... I expected this thread to degenerate much more quickly than it already has; a pleasant surprise for this American. Er...Texan.

WYK

wyk

Puddleduck wrote: »

What I want to know is how do all americans know there heritage? Im irish but I havent a clue where my ancestors came from..I dont really get why it matters, I was born in Ireland so Im irish...

Good point. I bet one of the things you do, though, when you meet someone in Ireland whom is obviously not Irish is ask them where they are from. It's one of the first things folks asked me. Chances are they may be Polish, but I have met some Hungarians, Canadians, French, Spanish, Estonians, Czechs etc. while living in Dublin.

Well, nearly EVERYONE in America is either an Immigrant or the descendant of immigrants. And just like 10 generations from now when that Hungarian's Irish descendants will tell you they are originally from Hungary, I can tell you where my Father and Mother are originally from one generation ago. Though, technically, since I am part Cherokee, I COULD say I am a native...

One of the most difficult things I find for the Irish to understand is how much of an immigrant nation, and how young of an immigrant nation America is. When you are surrounded 98% by Irish persons, born there, and from there, it can be difficult to appreciate it when an American tells you they are Irish. When an American tells you they are Irish, they are NOT telling you they are Irish. They are telling you they are FROM Irish immigrants. Americans understand simply due to the fact that they have had to repeat it over and over again to other immigrants and Americans whom either inquire about their name, the photo on the wall of their Irish parents, or the fact that someone just stated they are from Ireland - as some of you here have found. Eventually you start to lose the "I am of Irish descent" or "my family is from Ireland 2 generations ago" and it becomes "I'm Irish" as a matter of convenience. Other Americans will simply assume you are either an immigrant from Ireland, or of Irish descent, and carry on the conversation from there. Of course an American knows they are not Irish, and it is utterly ignorant and foolish to assume an American actually believes they are Irish. They KNOW they are American - it was pretty evident that day when they woke up in America for the umpteenth time in their lives. It is simply a matter of pride, respect, and convenience when an American states that they are Irish. It should be taken as a compliment, instead of shunned and ridiculed by so many of the mistaken Irish I see on these boards.

As a frame of reference, the only Natives to America are the Alaskan and continental Indian tribes whom have been there for some say up to 30,000 years previous. I am only 1/8th Cherokee blood. And we are watering down pretty quickly. Full blood, registered and documented American Indians total between 2.3 and 2.5 million. That seems like a lot to an Irishman, maybe. But there are 280 million Americans in all. So, in other words, there are currently less than 1% of the US population that can say they are Native Americans. The rest of America came here between today and roughly 230 years ago.


WYK

Neverwhere

i know im going to get major slagged for this.

but i appreciate dunkin donuts!!! i miss that place, seriously.

galwaydude

When i first moved to the states Dunkin Donuts was great, couldnt get enough. Cant say the same about the place now.

Somebody mentioned the great weather, well depending where you live, here in new england we have snow from november till march/april then sorching summers. Thank god for ac though.

Its funny how alot of people here go on about their irish heritage over here, when you do some more digging, they havent a clue in ireland where they are from. Just either the north or south!!!

wyk

dSTAR wrote: »

What I love about the lights there is that after 12am or 1am the lights at intersections flash amber allowing you to drive straight through if its clear. It sh!ts me over here when you are driving late at night and have to stop and wait at a set of red lights waiting for them to change without a car in sight.

Don' forget you can also turn right on the red light, and they have traffic sensing lights (pressure or magnetically operated) so you do not have to wait if you are the only one around regardless of time of day. Some even have light sensors to see a car coming at night when the traffic is light, and workup to 100 yards+ away in a fast intersection. If the lights malfunction, or lose power, the reserve power sets them to flash red - meaning to treat the intersection as a stop-sign controlled intersection VS the chaos that ensues in Ireland when an intersection loses power. Well, the MORE chaos that ensues, I should say How often does that freakin long mile roundabout go dark, I mean? That thing is ugly even when the lights are working right.

If we go on about traffic, there's little to no road tax. Inspections are easier and cheaper on your car. The TX road tax per year is $65 regardless of vehicle so long as it is a not a commercial truck. Well, actually, it's $35 if you own a farm and it is the first or main registered vehicle. Vehicle tax is 6-8% VS up to 36% depending on the type of vehicle in Ireland. That's right, a Hemi V8 300C that goes for 58K Euro in Ireland is $35K in the States. Gas taxes are 1/4 what they are in Ireland(currently $1.50 at the pumps per gallon here - but that's an American gallon - 20% less than an English gallon). So that 5.7l Hemi is cheaper to feed as well.

I do give a nod to roundabouts. In smaller intersections they work great. You only have to look for traffic the one way, and can zip through them easily most the time.

WYK

wyk

Mr. Frost wrote: »

I totally agree. It's such an easy place to find your way in. And absolutely EVERYWHERE, even the most isolated places have adequate road signs and directions from there.

Americans can not take full credit there. We based our road system on the German road system. Though, beforehand, we were similar in most regards. After the civil engineers studied Germany before and after WWII, we found their road system to be superior. So much so, we came away with much of what we have today - grid and ring systems. MOST of the previous systems were determined similarly to how they were in Ireland - wherever you could take a horse and a wagon, or planted a church or mission, that's where a road often ended up. River's and streams made boundaries, etc. Only, in America, most towns west of new England had a street system based upon it's alignment with the railroads. To this day, because of the rebuilding or the new building after WWII, you can see most older cities have a inner city system that aligns with the rail road tracks, and then an outer ring that aligns closer to NESW. Here's some ugly URL's, but good exammples of my home town of San Antonio, TX:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=29.423451,-98.473206&spn=0.427623,0.657806&z=11
And the satellite imagery:
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=29.449165,-98.499298&spn=0.427515,0.657806&t=k&z=11

You can see the ring system clearly there. 3 in all so far. The outlying areas and San Antonio are about a million people or so. If you look at the railways, you will still see many motorways and streets running right along them and branching out from them.and then intersecting more properly aligned NS-type streets. In the States, generally speaking, N and West side of the streets have even number addresses. South and East side of the streets are oddly numbered. The Numbers depend not only upon the location, but also upon the distance the address is from the center of town. So, say you want to find 6501 E. Chisholm Trail. It is east of down town, it is on the 65th block, and the first house or building on the right if I am heading away from the city center as I also know from the address that it is on the south side of the road. The first address on the north side would be 6502. Simply glancing at the street signs at nearly any intersection will give you an idea exactly where you are on the map. The actual NESW directions can vary by sate, though. Even so, once ya learn it, it is a pretty nice system. Thank you, Germany.

Same goes for motorways and fwys. Technically, we have both a National Hwy System and an Interstate Hwy System. Even numbers are if the fwy is predominantly East-West, and odd numbers are North-South freeways. Two digits means they are Interstate hwy's usually. Three digits means they are local hwys. Four digits mean they are state roads, and 3 digits in Texas for smaller roads means they are county roads. However, in many states, Texas included, if a road is a county, state, ranch, farm or whatever type of road, it will clearly be stated on the sign.

Furthermore, in Texas we have our own definitions of types of roads, as well. Rialto, Spur, Loop, etc. all tell you what sort of a road it might be. A loop generally goes around a larger area, a Rialto is usually just a circular road with houses on it, a spur is a dead end road off of a more major road, but generally populated.

So yes, the addressing and roads system in the States is quite a bit better defined than it is in many other countries.

Of course, when it comes to very old roads, it's more like the chaos in Ireland in the county. However, unlike on those rare occasions folks played 'mail box' baseball in the county(and it can be wide spread come senior graduation), the street signs are usually clearly posted and not molested. That is something that confused me about Ireland - folks so bored they got to ruin street signs? Wth?

I believe someone was making a point about American military might projection and their use of bases off shore. I find it odd that we have no less than _4_ Air Force Bases within our city limits, and one Army Fort, with an Army camp just outside the city. Pancho Villa is not gonna cause much trouble here, I don't think.

WYK

Tchaikovsky

San Antonio is a beautiful city, I'd love to go back there

Neverwhere

galwaydude wrote: »

When i first moved to the states Dunkin Donuts was great, couldnt get enough. Cant say the same about the place now.

Somebody mentioned the great weather, well depending where you live, here in new england we have snow from november till march/april then sorching summers. Thank god for ac though.

Its funny how alot of people here go on about their irish heritage over here, when you do some more digging, they havent a clue in ireland where they are from. Just either the north or south!!!

from new jersey dude! i appreciate the range of seasons. we have 2 here......cold and wet.....slightly less cold and wet.

Rented Mule

Neverwhere wrote: »

from new jersey dude! i appreciate the range of seasons. we have 2 here......cold and wet.....slightly less cold and wet.

Being from Chicago we have two seasons that are well recognised while driving.

Winter and construction.

Neverwhere

ooooh i hate chicago winters. i lived in chicago for a while, i couldnt stand the cold!

The_Conductor

Neverwhere wrote: »

ooooh i hate chicago winters. i lived in chicago for a while, i couldnt stand the cold!

Sure its cold- but it beats the misery of a wet and dark Irish winter. At least they have clear differentiation between the seasons.....

Give me the Windy City any day of the week...... The closeness to Lake Michigan is a big plus too!

Svalbard

I loved San Francisco, beautiful city and the people were so happy and friendly.

rossie1977

smccarrick wrote: »

Sure its cold- but it beats the misery of a wet and dark Irish winter. At least they have clear differentiation between the seasons.....

Give me the Windy City any day of the week...... The closeness to Lake Michigan is a big plus too!

chicago in the winter is just too cold, i was there in january 2007 when it hit -17C during the day with the windchill factor making it feel well over -20C, i couldn't live in that

give me a wet and dark irish winter (haven't really seen one of those for a while though ), last sunday was like a summers day in dublin

pickarooney

liah wrote: »

It's a province in Canada that is predominately French, it includes the city of Montreal which I'm sure you've heard of as it's one of the larger, more known cities in the country.

Basically, the reason why I (and quite a few other Canadians) can't stand the Quebecois is partially because of the Separatists. The Separatists have a campaign to try and make Quebec into its own country, inside of Canada.

They're quite arrogant, as a rule, just very full of themselves and closed off-- quite like the French of France. You try speaking English to them and they won't respond til you speak in French (though in Montreal it's not so bad because it's such a tourist hotspot; it's mainly the smaller cities and towns.)

Road signs, store signs, etc. in Quebec are all seulement (only) en Francais, whereas in the entirety of the country outside of Quebec the signs are in English and French (exactly how signs in Ireland are both English and Irish).

They don't cater to the rest of the country at all, despite us looking out for them, and are just very stand-offish and unwelcoming.

Maybe it's just something to do with the language itself, as I've heard French from a lot of the rest of the world tend to be quite full of themselves.

Either way, not a fan...

So apart from hating your only neighbours and being arrogant enough to insist on speaking English in a French-speaking area, you're dead friendly, eh? :P

Manic Moran

smccarrick wrote: »

We have abdicated responsibility for our safety to our police force and our armed forces.

Some would argue that this is not a good thing, given that the Gardai and Army are not actually responsible for your safety. Try sueing them for failing to protect you if you get mugged, let me know how well that goes. In the US we have accepted the reality that given that the police cannot guarantee everyone's safety at all times, it is just impractical, the only person ultimately responsible for your safety is you. (It is also to be argued that even if the Gards did find the person who assaulted and maybe stabbed or otherwise injured you when no Gardai were looking, that this will be of small satisfaction if you now have AIDS, are maimed, or are dead: Prevention in this case may be better than the remedy). A pragmatic view can be "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away."

For the most part they do a bloody good job- as evidenced by the fact that over 97% of gunshot victims are known criminals themselves.

Not a dis-similar effect in the US, actually. The vast majority of gunshot victims tend to be criminals or gang members.

Baseball bats, hurleys, golf clubs etc- are the norm here.

The problem with baseball bats, hurleys, golf clubs, etc, is twofold. One is that my hallway is narrow enough that I don't actually have room to swing one. The other is that the effectiveness of the bat, hurley, club etc tends to be directly related to the physical condition of the user. Not everyone is a fine, strapping 30-year old male with the full use of all four limbs. "God created all men, Samuel Colt made them all equal." Ye olde grannye in ye wheelchaire may quite competently defend herself with a .380ACP. She may have a problem being quite as effective as you with a golf club.

I know my loved one would have a hard time forgiving me were I to shoot someone- albeit in self defense.

Mine wouldn't. Of course, I'm not mandating that you shoot anyone in any situation at all. What you choose to do and how you and yours choose to react to certain situations is your own affair.

Why is it considered fair game to use lethal force. Its just not necessary given the alternates, in the modern world.

We don't get second chances. We don't wear body armour or have armed backup like police do. Put at the most basic level, nothing has yet proven more reliable than a firearm in an emergency. If you were to object to the concept of being shot for simply breaking into my house, the immediate thought I might have is "Don't break into my house", not "Mandate that I use a bean bag."

Certainly- the knowledge that you stood a high likelyhood of being shot is a good deterent- but surely this is a reflection of a failing on the part of law and order in Texas, that people have to resort to these measures, and an indication of the reasonable levels of success the Irish judiciary have?

More a reflection of the fact that no criminal justice system has as yet proven 100% reliable in preventing crimes. My shooting a home invader may have little effect on the overall burglary rates of the city, but it will certainly have an effect on the successful burglary rates of my house. And, more importantly, the health and safety of me and mine. I don't really care about the health and safety of the person who broke in, frankly. See above immediate thought.

I choose to have the badges removed from my car by the dealership- so the specification and engine are not on display, and I do not leave personal belongings on open display when I park the car. I exercise what I consider to be reasonable levels of caution- and have never had to change my behaviour.

I'm not sure you're selling the merits of the Irish judicial system, here. My car is rare enough that there are about a thousand of the model in the entire US. I have not even contemplated having it debadged for crime deterrence, even if it does make it look a bit more like a more common, cheaper variant. Never had to change my behaviour for that either. My owning a fiream is just as you describe debadging the car: A reasonable level of caution. I will probably never have to use it. Just as I will probably never be woken by my smoke detector telling me the house is on fire. Doesn't hurt me to have either, though.

violent crime has fallen of a cliff since the early 90's in the US, unlike Ireland. There are, in fact, controversial opinions on why - some say increases in abortion, some say increases in detention, but nobody disputes the figures.

Other possibilities are better policing, a cultural shift against tolerance for violent crime, or the fact that since the early 90s, the majority of States changed their laws to allow all private citizens, not otherwise barred, to carry guns around with them. An armed society is a polite society, goes the thinking. It may not be the cause, but it certainly hasn't hurt.
http://www.trigru.net/Rtc.gif

Papers like the San Jose Mercury news, are just local news, and opinions.

You've hit one of my main gripes with this country. The media here makes no bones about attempting to be impartial. They go as far as to print pull-out supplements for you to take into the polling booth with their opinions on how they think you should vote on elections, initiatives, referenda and so on. That's not reporting news, that's trying to influence politics and policies. Even for large-scale papers like the SF Chronicle.

Someone mentioned traffic laws. Americans do not understand roundabouts. They often put stop signs at the entrances, instead of 'yield.' I've even heard (though this is unverified) that in New Jersey, right of way goes to traffic coming onto the roundabout, which makes no sense to me at all.

[ETA: Maybe I do a dis-service. I am currently in Fernley, Nevada, a small town of no great significance other than it's where I-80 and Alt US-95 cross. Yet they have a 'perfect' roundabout, with yield signs, proper lane markings, advance signposting, and 100% clear visibility for some distance in all directions: I only noticed this when I drove to my hotel from dinner this evening.]

The closeness to Lake Michigan is a big plus too!

I don't know, dude. When I emigrated to the US, my first stop was Youngstown, Ohio, in January. Good Christ, that was cold. If that's typical of the Lakes area, I'm glad I went to California.

NTM

wyk

acontadino wrote: »

Than who? the irish? theres a hell of a lot more of them to be making comparisons like that.

A much more interesting question would be who are truly more accepting of different cultures, us(europeans) or americans?

new york is very segregated with ethnic groups sticking to their own quarter.

Looking at your posts, much of which are amongst the most ignorant I have seen on these boards, I would say your small-minded, deep-seeded, bigoted attitude would make you the least likely expert on this subject.

Americans are highly tolerant of other cultures because they ARE the other cultures. No other country in the world has the sheer number of immigrants America does (roughly 275 million or so the last 230 years). We must tolerate them, because they are us.

WYK

Overheal

Acontadino I'm not entirely sure where you get your idea's from but I am sure glad you don't represent many opinions.

wyk

liah wrote: »

Too bad they're so slow with relief for natural disasters on their home turf.. Katrina, anyone? New Orleans...

America is not a socialist country. It is founded on capitalism and States rights. The Katrina issue is far more complicated than many want to believe - especially in Europe. To me, New Orleans and Louisiana are like a different country. N.O. resides in another state entirely, with it's own laws, and it's own people. This is the perspective most Americans have, really. You have to live here to appreciate the idea of statehood and independence.

So the stage for Katrina -

Louisiana had been warned on many occasions by both the Federal government AND Texas(which borders Louisiana) that their levy system was inadequate for a direct hit from a powerful hurricane. Texas itself has spent the last 100 years reinforcing their Hurricane breakers on it's huge coast line. In other words, they were warned, and were full aware that eventually, a catastrophe like Katrina was going to happen. Yet, they did little to nothing to prepare for it. The Flood Control Act of 1965 gave the Federal government limited powers and resources to act within state's borders. After that, the state was on it's own and would have to request further grants(which Louisiana did not heavily pursue). It was expected that Louisiana would further bolster it's own defenses - that never came to be.

About 36 hours before Katrina hit, the Federal government issued a warning to Louisiana, and the southern coast line(roughly to 1.5 million residents in all) and suggested a mass-scale evacuation. Over 80% of New Orleans was evacuated before Katrina's landfall. Thus, chaos ensued, making matters worse. Many locals refused to evacuate.

Katrina was a Category 5 Hurricane. This is the most massive and powerful force nature has to offer short of a huge meteor or volcano. It had sustained winds over 175 mph and was 400 miles wide. Fortunately, just before it hit Louisiana, it downgraded to a cat 3 hurricane. That put it at a sustained wind speed of 125+ MPH, and winds over 70 MPH up to 120 miles in each direction from the center of the Hurricane. It also increased in size 36 hours before landfall. In other words - it could have been even worse. It did not help, though, that Katrina retained hurricane status until it reached about 150 miles inland from the sea - a nearly unheard of occurance as the land usually doesn't have enough energy to feed a hurricane and tends to downgrade them into storms. Before this, Katrina actually bounced off the coastline before it hit landfall, causing a more lingering effect of the Hurricane before it actually began it's course inland.

When the eventual 53 levies broke(2/3rds of the levies protecting New Orelans), most of New Orleans was flooded, much of which under 6-12' of water.

Nearly 1500 people lost their lives in New Orleans, and another 300 dead and 600 missing in adjoining states. Over $86Billion in damage was done. The Federal disaster area affected by the Hurricane directly amounted to 233,000 km² - nearly the size of the United Kingdom, and almost 3 times the size of Ireland.

America may be the most powerful country in the world, but that doesn't mean they can brush aside Hurricanes. 6-12' deep water, storm force winds, completely shut down transport systems, power systems, plumbing systems, 80% of the roads were damaged, destroyed, or invisible, and damage and debris in an area the size of the UK were formidable obstacles for the state, local and federal relief forces(namely the national and state guards).

However, within days the Army Corps of Engineers managed to get the bilge pumps up and working at full power.(and example of them can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jNBQboYt4 and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWXlSDhkkdU&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFXT_JwdIQM&feature=related). Within days the coast guard evacuated half of the remaining 60K people in New Orleans. Most people whom needed evacuation were assisted before they starved.

The aftermath? Well, there IS none. New Orleans Evacuated 1.2 million people. Of those, about 200,000 have returned within the last few years. That's right, 1 million people in the general area have left for good. There are still entire stretches of neighborhoods that have either taken their insurance money and decided to not return, or have simply left. There are thousands of buildings that are condemned for safety reasons and damage, some of which are up to 30 stories high. They are currently still being demolished. 1.5 million acres of forest land was destroyed as well, and much of it swept into occupied areas. This had to be cleared away. This sort of thing does not happen overnight, folks. And if the locals do not return, who will be there to rebuild? These areas are privately owned. It is not predominantly council housing, or state housing, that the governments themselves can rebuild. If they elect to stay out, then it is going to remain a ghost town. I for one, do not blame them for not returning.

How fast can you repair and clean up an area the size of the UK? If you have a better way to handle this situation let the Americans know. I am sure they would appreciate any suggestions.

WYK

Neverwhere

rossie1977 wrote: »

chicago in the winter is just too cold, i was there in january 2007 when it hit -17C during the day with the windchill factor making it feel well over -20C, i couldn't live in that

give me a wet and dark irish winter (haven't really seen one of those for a while though ), last sunday was like a summers day in dublin

i have to agree, the freezing weather really just snt my thing.