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Report from the US, a nice but somewhat backward country.



 
 
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  #51  
Old December 13th, 2008, 06:56 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.australia+nz
sharx35
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Posts: 803
Default Report from the US, a nice but somewhat backward country.



"Dick Adams" wrote in message
...
Sharx35 wrote:
"Dick Adams" wrote:
Sharx35 wrote:


If they don't like it here in NORTH AMERICA, let them stay the ****
AWAY.


Alas a true Isolationist. Have you no need for tourist dollars?


Where I live, in Alberta, NO...absolutely not.


Have you forgotten the tourist dollars from the Calgary Stampede?

Winter comes early in western Canada east of the Continental Divide.
If you're there in the dead of winter, -40C is not unusual. Per
Weather.com, it was -15C in Edmonton today, but it felt like -26C.
I'd stay the **** away too.

If you're coming to the U.S. on holiday, come to the Promised
Land of North Carolina where people treat strangers like kin.

Dick


As I said in my original e-mail, I've always totally enjoyed my trips
stateside.
But your comment about "where people treat strangers like kin" alarms me.
I don't know if my wife would allow me, uh, "inter kin dalliances".





  #52  
Old December 13th, 2008, 06:57 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.australia+nz
sharx35
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Posts: 803
Default Report from the US, a nice but somewhat backward country.



"Carole Allen" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:48:49 GMT, "Sharx35"
wrote:
Well, I have travelled in the U.S., too. After several dozen trips to the
U.S., **MY** bad experiences are a fraction of yours. I suspect it might
be due to
your arrogant Eurocentric, obviously chip on the shoulder attitude to U.S.
culture. I am not a U.S. resident nor a U.S. citizen, however I much
prefer
to travel in the U.S., compared to the continent of Europe snipped


Oh please spare us in the US - you come across as such a charmer...


Sorry, but I canNOT stand arrogant Euro types who badmouth North America.
Talk about people in glass houses throwing stones.

  #53  
Old December 13th, 2008, 08:47 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.australia+nz
Alan S[_1_]
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Posts: 2,163
Default Report from the US, a nice but somewhat backward country.

On Sat, 13 Dec 2008 01:58:12 GMT, "Sharx35"
wrote:

I have a GREAT sense of humour,


Of course you do. I mean, geez mate, how could you face the
day after looking in the mirror in the morning if that
wasn't true?

Cheers, Alan, Australia
--
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com
Latest: Two Indian Hotels: to Sleep, Perchance...
  #54  
Old December 13th, 2008, 11:43 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.australia+nz
Mike O'Sullivan
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Posts: 428
Default Report from the US, a nice but somewhat backward country.

Frank Slootweg wrote:


It's North America, but if the information is uninteresting, feel free
to ignore it.


I think the Canucks (sp?) would probably take offense at the "North
America" classification! :-)


Not at all. "North America" is merely a geographical designation. Their
trade and economies are very closely linked in many ways, including
their cellphone services.
  #55  
Old December 13th, 2008, 11:44 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.australia+nz
Mike O'Sullivan
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Posts: 428
Default Report from the US, a nice but somewhat backward country.

Sharx35 wrote:



I just happen to BE a Canadian who does NOT take offense at the term
"North America".


Loyal to the Queen I hope! (God bless her).
  #56  
Old December 13th, 2008, 11:48 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.australia+nz
Mike O'Sullivan
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Posts: 428
Default Report from the US, a nice but somewhat backward country.

John Kulp wrote:

The Dutch should talk. I have never seen so many different types of
toilets as I have in The Netherlands. You think you're turning on the
light and the toilet flushes.


Their toilets are strange. When you take a crap, the turds sit on a sort
of shelf, so you can contemplate it for a couple of minutes before
flushing. (BTW, Flushing is in Holland too)
  #57  
Old December 13th, 2008, 05:09 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.australia+nz
Frank Slootweg
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Posts: 275
Default Report from the US, a nice but somewhat backward country.

John Kulp wrote:
On Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:14:59 +0100, Frank Slootweg
wrote:

[...]

[Re-added rec.travel.australia+nz because of the references to Oz (and I
don't believe in splitting up running discussions, unless there is a
very good reason). Of course anyone is free to think/act otherwise.]

Lawrence Akutagawa wrote:
[...]

Just for your edification - in California the sales tax (about
8.25%, depending on where in the state) is already included in the
quoted per gallon price of gasoline. A number of years ago it was
excluded from the quoted price such that the tax was calculated
subsequently as per all other taxable purchases. But no longer.


"tax", you pushed yet another one of my buttons (Perhaps that Sharx35
dude was right after all!?).

The tax thingie is rather confusing, needlessly complex, and, AFAICT,
has no advantages for the customer.

In most - but not all - cases, tax was excluded. As you say, the
percentage depends on the location and probably also on the type of
product/service. If you're buying one or a few products, it's hard to
impossible to give the shop attendant the exact amount or to (try to)
get as little change as possible back, until the cash register has
calculated how much you own. That is a nuisance, only takes addtional
time, and I see no advantage (*Is* there any advantage?).

In comparison, in Europe/Oz the sales price always includes the tax
(well, nearly always for Oz). In our country - The Netherlands - it's
even illegal to quote exclusive prices to 'consumers'. At minimal both
exclusive and inclusive have to be quoted, and even that is severely
frowned upon.


Which is exactly why we exclude it here, keeping our taxes much lower
than yours by constantly pointing out how much of the total price it
is.


Well, your *product* (i.e. sales, VAT, whatever) taxes are not that
much lower. You are probably thinking about income tax, social
securrity, etc..

Anyway, we don't have to be reminded how much the tax is, because they
are fixed percentages and - at least in The Netherlands - only two
categories, simply put 'essential' products like some foods, etc., and
'luxury' products, nearly everything else.. While a certain poster would
probably not believe it, most Europeans are able to remember two
numbers! :-)

[...]
  #58  
Old December 13th, 2008, 05:13 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.australia+nz
Frank Slootweg
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Posts: 275
Default Report from the US, a nice but somewhat backward country.

Mike O'Sullivan wrote:
Frank Slootweg wrote:

It's North America, but if the information is uninteresting, feel free
to ignore it.


I think the Canucks (sp?) would probably take offense at the "North
America" classification! :-)


Not at all. "North America" is merely a geographical designation. Their
trade and economies are very closely linked in many ways, including
their cellphone services.


Tough crowd, this is! I'm just echoing what Canucks have repeatedly
said (mostly in rta+n) and I *did* add a smiley, i.e. it was tongue in
cheek.
  #59  
Old December 13th, 2008, 06:26 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.australia+nz
Frank Slootweg
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Posts: 275
Default Report from the US, a nice but somewhat backward country.

John Kulp wrote:
On Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:05:52 +0100, Frank Slootweg
wrote:

[...]
6. Americans don't quite grasp that SIMs can be put in *other* phones.

Having a multi-band phone, I went to buy a pre-paid SIM. No such
thing in the US! You can only buy a SIM *and* phone. Duh! I already
*have* a (compatible) phone, *three* of them!

Completely wrong. Just do a search for "pre-paid SIM in the US" and
see what you find.


Can you give a *specific* reference? As I said, I *did* search before
our trip and didn't find anything suitable. BTW, the guy at the Radio
Shack store where I eventually bought the SIM+phone didn't understand
what I meant when I said I wanted a SIM for my phone.


Here's one:
http://www.ustronics.com/USA_SIM_Car...FSAUagodlwubTQ


I've not tried to place an order on this particular website, but note
that I said in another response that I already looked at T-Mobile on the
web:

Hmmm! Before going to the US, I looked at AT&T's and T-Mobile USA's
websites. I didn't find anything like that on the AT&T site (Don't get
me started on AT&T sites.), and the T-Mobile USA site specifically said
that you could get SIM-only only via their website (and because that
required a US ship-to address, that was no option (not counting the
poorer (than AT&T) coverage)).


I.e. a web-order which requires a US ship-to address was no option for
me, i.e. I had to be able to 1) buy it in a US store or 2) have it sent
to my home address in The Netherlands. AFAIK, few if any companies will
do c.q. are able to do, the latter, due to regulatory issues, potential
illegal/terrorism use, etc..

[...]
  #60  
Old December 13th, 2008, 06:50 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.australia+nz
Frank Slootweg
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 275
Default Report from the US, a nice but somewhat backward country.

[Disclaimer: I can't believe I'm actually reading/writing this stuff! :-)]

Mike O'Sullivan wrote:
John Kulp wrote:

The Dutch should talk. I have never seen so many different types of
toilets as I have in The Netherlands. You think you're turning on the
light and the toilet flushes.


Their toilets are strange. When you take a crap, the turds sit on a sort
of shelf, so you can contemplate it for a couple of minutes before
flushing. (BTW, Flushing is in Holland too)


Your description doesn't compute. With 'shelf' do you mean a moving,
probably metal, plate in the 'output pipe' (don't know the right term
for the latter? Or do you mean the bottom of a US-style toilet, but
without the few gallons of water, i.e. the 'shelf' is not a seperate
component, but just the bottom of the ceramic toilet?

If the former, then those kind of toilets are *not* common in The
Netherlands, i.e. there might be some in some places, but they would be
an exception.

As to strange, *we* find having them float around in a few gallons of
water both strange and disgusting!
 




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