OT-People of the World

[Targan]

Well I'm Australian so what can I say? We're all keen of eye and wit, strong of limb, fine featured and effusively gregarious. Am I right? Huh?

Where'd everyone go?

[Marc]

Originally Posted by Targan

Well I'm Australian so what can I say? We're all keen of eye and wit, strong of limb, fine featured and effusively gregarious. Am I right? Huh?

Where'd everyone go?

Well, you seem quite gregarious...

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Targan left out that we Australians can be lazy, slow witted at times, too fanatical about sport, too quick to tear down people who are high achievers (i.e. tall poppy syndrome), too parochial and far too quick to get drunk or to bet on anything at all (e.g. betting on two flies walking up a wall, deciding to have a few drinks because... well we Australians don't actually care too much about reasons for drinking, we just do it - although not as much as many Eastern European countries).
We're very isolated and thus protected from the rest of the world due to our island continent status, this tends to make us willfully ignorant of anything outside our own realm simply because "it can't really affect us". This then tends to make us too full of our own security and self importance.
We also take far too much pride in the notion that our ancestors were convicts.
We have some very good scientists but we never encourage them (the government controlled & funded CSIRO is woefully underfunded) and we steadfastly refuse to invest in our own scientific discoveries.
Our trade unions can be as militant, lazy, deceitful, law-breaking and troublesome as any British trade union.
And lastly, we have a very bad tendency to encourage free speech except when you criticize something Australian (then you are evil, unAustralian or a bloody foreign troublemaker).

However, don't attack our friends/allies because we are usually very quick to jump into the fight (although that can be both good and bad).
Don't ever think that just because our military is small we won't fight hard or put up with hardship.
We make sparkling wine that is so good it annoys the French vintners!
Don't underestimate our ability to do hard work because we seem lazy or spend too much time at the beach. We would usually like to work at full throttle to get something finished so that we can then spend the maximum time relaxing after the job is done. If that means a lot of grimy or hard work or finishing the job at 3AM to make sure it is done, then so be it.
And finally, just because the British colonized this country do not ever think that we simply follow everything the British do and we model ourselves after them, we take great pride in reminding the British that we are not British!

Besides, we have the best beaches in the world, why wouldn't we want to be lazy beachbums? Except in Sydney, the beaches in Sydney are crap

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

We make sparkling wine that is so good it annoys the French vintners!

I didn't know about the sparkling wine but I love your beers and your regular wines. At least, when I was in US I had something good and not too expensive to drink. At the time for the sparkling wine I was mostly drinking cava made in Catalunya.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

I didn't know about the sparkling wine but I love your beers and your regular wines. At least, when I was in US I had something good and not too expensive to drink. At the time for the sparkling wine I was mostly drinking cava made in Catalunya.

And probably produced in my own Village, Sant SadurnÃ*. I'm happy to read it, Mo. Nearly everyone in my village earns their live (direcly or indirectly) with the Cava. My mother works in a winery, my faher is an enologist (and a very good one, IMHO), my father-in-law produce his own cava, my uncle transport wine in his truck...Even the electrical diagrams that I'm about to finish are for an important cava producer (Freixenet). Now that the grape harvest is nearly finished everything will go back to normality for a time. It's always a happy period of hard work and intense activity. My region in all its fullness and vitality.

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by Marc

And probably produced in my own Village, Sant SadurnÃ*. I'm happy to read it, Mo. Nearly everyone in my village earns their live (direcly or indirectly) with the Cava. My mother works in a winery, my faher is an enologist (and a very good one, IMHO), my father-in-law produce his own cava, my uncle transport wine in his truck...Even the electrical diagrams that I'm about to finish are for an important cava producer (Freixenet). Now that the grape harvest is nearly finished everything will go back to normality for a time. It's always a happy period of hard work and intense activity. My region in all its fullness and vitality.

I know everything about what you are talking about but I'm supposed to be the opposing force: my family is involved in champagne business. I had my own business about ten years ago before I walked away from all that (I was buying wines and grapes to producers and selling it to big businesses). Nevertheless, I'll be selling my mother's champagne again this winter. Harvest has always been the best of times and a lot of fun since i was a kid.

However, unlike most people involved with champagne I'm not always saying that champagne is the best, there are terrible ones (my mother's is the best and I'm being serious).

The best present the champagne region made to the Cava region (and to every other sparkling wine regions) was to forbid everyone to refer to a "methode champenoise". Since that time, every one else has grown and improved qualities.

[Jason]

Cool Thread. I will add my personal U.S. opinion. I have never been overseas, but I have worked with many foriegn-born people.

U.S. I do not have children myself, but the OP has a point about the way we raise our kids. Of course, the majority of American children enjoy loving households, but far too many grow up extemely poor, hungry, homeless, or abused. Our education system is meh. Our public schools do graduate some exceptionally well educated youngsters, while again failing those on the margins. American foriegn policy is...kind of...hmmm. But, hold on, Americans are also some the the most charitable people in the world. When other countries suffer natural catastrophies, American rescue teams and relief organizations are some of the first to offer their aid. Not really sure about the watching the neighbors comment however. I have only lived in the West/Midwest, but out here we give our nieghbors plenty of privacy. There is actually some criticism that we are too clanish at times. We do have some good food, thanks to people settling here from around the world. Speaking of food, we export alot of corn, wheat, etc. to feed the world.

France! I like the French. They are some of the bravest fighters in history. In WWI, French soldiers mutinied only for better conditions, and despite the horrific losses, those soldiers still went over the top. I have not met many French people, but I know some people who have lived and studied in France. I am told that the French are nice to my visitiing American friends and family. I don't really drink wine. *ducks*

Brits. Where would we be without them? I have met and spent time with a few English, and always found them to be engaging and intielligent. And good drinkers. One of my favorite quotes was shouted at me by a British guy who was carrying two cases of Budwiser into a party, "American beer is piss!". Yeah. High culture and punks. The Queen and soccer riots.

Poles. I have worked with some Poles, they are super nice, and inquisitive. They were always improving their English, reading newspapers, and making freinds. Proud of their Nationality and culture. Good food.

Russians/former U.S.S.R. Well, to be fair, as with all my other interactions with foriegn-born friends, I have met and interacted with people who have traveled to the U.S. to work and/or study. So, most of the Russian and Kazak's I know are in the U.S. to avoid mandatory military service. If they stay long enough, they age out. Super nice guys who love to help out. They do like the ladies and flirt very overtly. Nazim is a friend of mine, and came over for Thanksgiving once. Not afraid to point out the good and bad of their homecountries.

Africans. The African men I have worked closely with are among the nicest people I have ever met. They have real interest in my life and affairs, and always wish me prosperity, good health, etc. I saw a guy I worked with two years ago, and he inquired after my mother's health in a wonderful way.

That is about it from Omaha.

[mikeo80]

I live near and work at Fort Bragg, NC, USA. Home of the 82nd Airborn.

In the course of a week I probably run across a little bit of everything from soldiers training at Fort Bragg to husbands and wives of soldiers who are from other countries.

It is a very learning experience!!! Most people I have had dealings with are just that, people. No better, no worse that any one else. There are exceptions, however the majority are people who need to do their job as they see it, and my job is to help them as best I can.

Mike

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by Jason

Of course, the majority of American children enjoy loving households, but far too many grow up extemely poor, hungry, homeless, or abused.

I realize that i wasn't clear on that one. What I said was not directed at american's habilty to raise children. They are doing as well as everyone else IMO. However, I can't accept the risk to have the old lady next door sending child care in my house because she thinks I'm too hard on them. Intervening on the side of children being abused is fine but there should be some limits. We are taking the same path but we have not gone so far yet.

For everything else nothing is perfect. And I wish to send my daughters to US universities (I'll simply keep warning them about rape and football teams)

Originally Posted by Jason

Poles. I have worked with some Poles, they are super nice, and inquisitive. They were always improving their English, reading newspapers, and making freinds. Proud of their Nationality and culture. Good food.

Forget about those I married one and ask for divorce after a few years. Still don't understand why anyone wants to control Poland, they are simply a pain. Actually, I'm not sure to understand why I married one. I'll answer that in a couple centuries.

Originally Posted by Jason

Africans. The African men I have worked closely with are among the nicest people I have ever met. They have real interest in my life and affairs, and always wish me prosperity, good health, etc. I saw a guy I worked with two years ago, and he inquired after my mother's health in a wonderful way.

I agree with you. My cousin's wife is great. However, they are often poluted by their own family and their strongest point is often their weakest. However, in T2K, they should be doing fine in the end. I agree about ethnic wars but after a while they would stop and they are the most inventive people I ever met. They get TV working in the middle of nowhere. They keep cars running that would be scrapped anywhere else in the world. System D is their moto (Our president had his bank account robbed by people from senegal, LOL). Anyway, the Twilight War wouldn't change much for them. I'm not even sure that ethnic war would last very long.

[mikeo80]

Originally Posted by Targan

Well I'm Australian so what can I say? We're all keen of eye and wit, strong of limb, fine featured and effusively gregarious. Am I right? Huh?

Where'd everyone go?

I'm still here.....I think....

I have met a few from "Down Under". Good people as far as I was concerned.

BTW... I love a good, cold Fosters!!!!!

Mike

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by mikeo80

BTW... I love a good, cold Fosters!!!!!

Oh you poor, poor misguided fool!
Fosters is the rubbish we ship overseas because it's just not good enough for Australians to drink.

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Oh you poor, poor misguided fool!
Fosters is the rubbish we ship overseas because it's just not good enough for Australians to drink.

Yes but don't forget it's much but really much better than budweiser. If you have bud in Australia, they still get the best part of the deal.

By the way, how did we get from people to beers????

[Cdnwolf]

You forgot us poor Canadians... imagine have Americans as YOUR neighbors!!

[Mohoender]

Hey they are not that bad and they are largely contributing to Canada's incom.

At least in Montreal that US students from Vermont visit weekly to drink alcohol and for commercial sex (nice St Catherine street you have there).

[mikeo80]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Oh you poor, poor misguided fool!
Fosters is the rubbish we ship overseas because it's just not good enough for Australians to drink.

Well, Legbreaker, send us poor sots some of your best!

On the other hand you may not want to do that. Just think of the illegal immigrants you will have trying to crash into Aussie land to drink your GOOD beer.

Mike

[Kellhound]

I think Belgians win us all on beer quality.

On a trip I made to Brussels and the Bastogne area a couple years ago I tasted a lot of different types and brands of beer, and all were good.

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by Kellhound

I think Belgians win us all on beer quality.

I definitely agree to that. So I'll be singing the Brabançone today instead of the Marseillaise.