What SL teaches about other countries/cultures

[Krystina Ferraris]

9 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

'Farther' is for physical distance and 'further' is for figurative distance, but the usage seems to blend a lot these days.

Indeed both blend into ‘farts’ after a few pints on this side of the pond…

[Pamela Galli]

3 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

My knowledge of individual American states isn't that big either.
Texas is big, warm, cattle land, Gas Monkey Garage, oil, Houston, Dallas and Republican. That's about it.
O yeah,  president GWB lives there right?

I don’t know what Gas Monkey Garage is,, but yes to the rest. Almost all large cities are Democrat.

[Sid Nagy]

9 minutes ago, Pamela Galli said:

I don’t know what Gas Monkey Garage is,, but yes to the rest. Almost all large cities are Democrat.

From the reality based tv-series Fast'N Loud, a hot rod garage in Dallas.
Over here it runs on Discovery channel.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Sid Nagy

[Madelaine McMasters]

1 hour ago, Lindal Kidd said:

I've learned that as fascinating as the streets of Tokyo appear, I probably don't want to actually go there. Way too much flashing neon. I'd probably have a seizure.

Tour during the day. Even the megawatt blocks (Dad and I estimated) are safe then.

I'm sure times have changed since I was there in 1985, but at that time I witnessed:

• Fifths of whiskey in vending machines on the street, accessible to minors.
• Businessmen, passed out on train station floors at 8PM, after a hard day's work (of wrestling booze away from kids?)
• Men on trains disguising violent porn inside comic books.
• Movie posters on the facades of porn theaters, depicting violent scenes easily seen by children walking by.
• Businessmen at meetings, offering my father prostitutes, knowing full well he was traveling with his wife and daughter.
• Thirty foot trees, removed from the ground to service utilities below, then replaced intact, all within 24-48 hours.
• Two miles of asphalt roadway in downtown Tokyo, completely resurfaced overnight.
• What looked like parking meters along sidewalks between buildings on a commercial business campus, installed to help pedestrians learn to walk at the proper speed.
• Nails with arrow shaped heads, in the sidewalks of Tokyo's Ueno park, intended to guide pedestrian flow when crowds are so packed, the only clear view you have is of your feet.
• Speakers on traffic poles at busy intersections, emitting bird sounds corresponding to traffic light status, so blind people can navigate without hearing people being annoyed by incessant "walk now" messages.
• Miniature household appliances to match the scale of the most expensive living spaces in the world.
• Car models named "Nancy" and "Susan", scooter models named "Try".
• Small children, vibrating with excitement at the checkout counter, upon seeing "squid on a stick" in a plastic jar.
• Passing a Mister Donut shop, with the smell of fish wafting out the door.
• People everywhere wearing masks, some of them quite stylish.
• Women, so very curious about how I was treated in Wisconsin, and eager to experience that.
• ETA: Benihana's of New York! (It was Benihana's of Tokyo here.)

I'd revisit in a heartbeat, but would not want to live there. I love open spaces.

As a "there's no place like home" girl, I'm fascinated by people who move to new cultures. That's why I often query those who've moved to my neighborhood from far, far away. I plan to travel. Covid crimped those plans short term, global warming long term. We'll see what I can work out. I don't want the bulk of my learning about other cultures to be behind me.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Madelaine McMasters

[Madelaine McMasters]

57 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

'Farther' is for physical distance and 'further' is for figurative distance, but the usage seems to blend a lot these days.

Yep, and I'm annoyed that two places can be far apart, but two ideas cannot be fur apart.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Madelaine McMasters
away->apart. I'm still learning English.

[CaithLynnSayes]

6 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

Over here it runs on Discovery channel.

I call that the Disco Channel.

 

(Ok, NOW i'm off topic )

[Ayashe Ninetails]

15 minutes ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

I plan to travel. Covid crimped those plans short term, global warming long term. We'll see what I can work out. I don't want the bulk of my learning about other cultures to be behind me.

I feel this so much. Covid has frustrated me beyond belief as my list of places keeps growing and I'm becoming rather restless! 

Not to mention I've been slacking very hard on saving up to go anywhere, but hey hey, minor details. 😂 At this point, I'm ready to build a boat and drift out to sea. 

Okay, maybe not.

[Madelaine McMasters]

2 hours ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

I have a list a mile long of places I want to visit as a result!

Remember, in most of the world, that list would be 1.6km long.

[Ayashe Ninetails]

Just now, Madelaine McMasters said:

Remember, in most of the world, that list would be 1.6km long.

LMAO. The ONE lesson I didn't pick up in my travels. I always pause to convert everything during my online conversations. 🤣

[Sid Nagy]

My list of places that I want to visit is pretty long as well. 
And I have saved enough to be able to do so starting in 2 years, when I'm officially retired. Hopefully the fast growing inflation will not force me to alter plans by then and my health stays reasonable okay.

[Madelaine McMasters]

1 minute ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

6 minutes ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

Remember, in most of the world, that list would be 1.6km long.

LMAO. The ONE lesson I didn't pick up in my travels. I always pause to convert everything during my online conversations. 🤣

Imperial measure, American exceptionalism at its best!

 

[Madelaine McMasters]

1 minute ago, Sid Nagy said:

My list of places that I want to visit is pretty long as well. 
And I have saved enough to be able to do so starting in 2 years, when I'm officially retired. Hopefully the fast growing inflation will not force me to alter plans by then and my health stays reasonable okay.

Global warming and the intense energy requirements of world travel are weighing on my plans, too.

[Sid Nagy]

As long as you measure twice and cut once, you Americans should be good with that imperial thingy.

[Madelaine McMasters]

1 minute ago, Sid Nagy said:

As long as you measure twice and cut once, you Americans should be good with that imperial thingy.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-01-mn-17288-story.html

[CaithLynnSayes]

Just now, Madelaine McMasters said:

Global warming and the intense energy requirements of world travel are weighing on my plans, too.

Don't they call that "Climate change" now?

[Sid Nagy]

1 minute ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-01-mn-17288-story.html

Wow.

[Pamela Galli]

6 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

As long as you measure twice and cut once, you Americans should be good with that imperial thingy.

I zthink the reason we cling to it, is that it corresponds more to body parts: thumb, foot, big step. No clue about mile, or weights.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Pamela Galli

[Madelaine McMasters]

19 minutes ago, CaithLynnSayes said:

Don't they call that "Climate change" now?

Well, they are two different but related things. I prefer to stick with "global warming" to avoid "the climate is always changing" rebuttals.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Madelaine McMasters

[CaithLynnSayes]

North American electrical plugs, OMG! 

I know the British are going to say they have the best, but i think the European standard is the best  

[Persephone Emerald]

4 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

My knowledge of individual American states isn't that big either.
Texas is big, warm, cattle land, Gas Monkey Garage, oil, Houston, Dallas and Republican. That's about it.
O yeah,  president GWB lives there right?

You see, limited. Just as limited as what the average American knows about my country.
But as a whole the USA is mighty important in the world, so the rest of the world knows a lot about what is happening there. No news show without on average at least one USA subject in it.  And don't forget the dominant position of Hollywood and the American TV-show producers in the world and the mighty American Music industry.

What I know of the Dutch could fill a teacup, even though Holland is the *farthest* north I've been in RL. 

I know I like Edam cheese, because my mother bought a wheel of it when we were on a multi-country tour and we ate some of it every day for the rest of our trip. I know the red light district in Amsterdam is a thing my mother wouldn't let me see because I was a teenager at the time. I know the dikes are an amazing feat of engineering that has kept the sea at bay and let people have more farmland. I know Dutch people like to ride bicycles, even when the roads are cobblestone. I know Dutch printing houses were important in printing books from all over the world, and suspect that's where we English speakers get the strange spelling of some of our words, such as through and though. I know the Dutch controlled the horticulture and distribution of tulips for many years, which made some people rich. I know Holland is a cool, damp and green country with a well-functioning democracy that treats women with equality and respect. 

What I learned on these forums is that Dutch people speak straightforwardly, but are generally well-meaning.

What I learned inworld is that Dutchie makes some of the best adult furniture in SL and Froykji Hoorenbeeck is actually pretty nice, friendly and open to suggestions from customers. 

[Orwar]

1 hour ago, Sid Nagy said:

"To, two and too" or "I had a hat on my head"  are a pain too at times.
Knowing is not always the same as using them correctly.
Or tree and three in pronunciation.

   Mein hat, er hat drei ecken, drei ecken hat mein hat!
Und hat es nicht drei ecken, dan bist es night mein hat!

   .. And yeah, that's my genuine, terrible German. Didn't nab the lines off the Internets! 

[Sid Nagy]

2 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:

What I know of the Dutch could fill a teacup, even though Holland is the *farthest* north I've been in RL. 

I know I like Edam cheese, because my mother bought a wheel of it when we were on a multi-country tour and we ate some of it every day for the rest of our trip. I know the red light district in Amsterdam is a thing my mother wouldn't let me see because I was a teenager at the time. I know the dikes are an amazing feat of engineering that has kept the sea at bay and let people have more farmland. I know Dutch people like to ride bicycles, even when the roads are cobblestone. I know Dutch printing houses were important in printing books from all over the world, and suspect that's where we English speakers get the strange spelling of some of our words, such as through and though. I know the Dutch controlled the horticulture and distribution of tulips for many years, which made some people rich. I know Holland is a cool, damp and green country with a well-functioning democracy that treats women with equality and respect. 

What I learned on these forums is that Dutch people speak straightforwardly, but are generally well-meaning.

What I learned inworld is that Dutchie makes some of the best adult furniture in SL and Froykji Hoorenbeeck is actually pretty nice, friendly and open to suggestions from customers. 

That is quite a lot you know about my country.
And thankfully you didn't mention the obligatory windmills and wooden clogs.

[Persephone Emerald]

1 hour ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

'Farther' is for physical distance and 'further' is for figurative distance, but the usage seems to blend a lot these days.

Thank you. I speak and write (American) English pretty well, but I didn't know this. I'm sure one of my English language teachers must have tried to teach me this, but I forgot it.

I also prefer the spelling of "grey" to "gray". I'm not sure why. Perhaps because it reminds me of Capt. Jean-Luc Piccard drinking his cup of Earl Grey tea.

[CaithLynnSayes]

Just now, Sid Nagy said:

thankfully you didn't mention the obligatory windmills and wooden clogs.

How tall are you?  

[Madelaine McMasters]

12 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:

What I know of the Dutch could fill a teacup, even though Holland is the *farthest* north I've been in RL.

They're wonderful and funny. My ex-hubby and I spent a week of our honeymoon in the Netherlands in 1993. They threw a huge party in Amsterdam to celebrate our arrival on April 30.

The Netherlands have been described as Europe's "Midwest". I'm from Wisconsin and that characterization is apropos.

12 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:

I know Dutch people like to ride bicycles

They also like to throw them in Amsterdam's canals at the end of their little trips.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Madelaine McMasters