talkmagic.co.uk

Demitri wrote:Out of curiosity - how has this become an America-bashing thread (and, by extension - a UK and Canada bashing one as well)?

I'm sure if we felt like it, we could go round and round about the dark shadows of all our respective homelands. But what's the point? I have no reason to lash out at the Brits - and I happen to enjoy many things about the country and its' population. I don't think I'm wrong when I say that door swings both ways.

However, I do take some offense to the constant use of the word "idiot" to describe Americans. Kindly keep your sweeping generalizations to yourself, Lord Freddie.

No - US gun laws aren't perfect - but we're trying to get there. The problem with situations such as these is that they don't truly present the opportunity for constructive debate. It serves only to polarize both sides. There are merits to each side of the issue, but the inability/refusal to listen to them makes it that much harder. When the dust settles on this shooting, hopefully some level heads can start to get some work done.

Forgive me for not being overly optimistic, though...

US gun laws "aren't perfect"
They're non existant! For how many years have you had people doing this kind of thing, or 'going postal' as it's known in the US?
If America wasn't so obsessed with keeping the gun-toting cowboy tradition going then this sort of thing wouldn't happen. Nearly every US drama film or tv show features guns and they are made acceptable and in the case of the hip-hop gangsta chic, a fashion accessory.

I am not generalising, there are a lot of intelligent, creative Americans.
But also a lot of idiots as well which you would expect in a country as big.

The laws concerning guns and the medias promotion of them is what causes situations like this. It's ok seeing Bush weep crocodile tears on the news (I feel the same when Blair rings his hands in mock despair for the British soldiers killed in Iraq), but nothing will be done about.

The gung-ho attitude (let's overthrow dictators - not Mugabe though, he has nothing we can take) is perfectly summed on a track by fellow Americans Sparks, on their latest album 'Hello Young Lovers'.
It's called 'Baby, Baby, Can I Invade Your Country?'.

If your government is going around massacaring people then the president can hardly shed fake sympathetic tears when someone else does it.

seige wrote:

monker59 wrote:I think that it's also funny how the UK thinks that they are the best country in the world. You don't try to conquer half of the globe without confidence.

This really made me chuckle.

The UK doesn't have to prove itself. It just gets dragged into conflict by more stupid warmonger-trigger-happy-'superpowers'.

Really?! You're dragged into conflict? What about the War of 1812? What about the Falklands War?

The British wrote:Those puny islands are giving us guff. Let's beat the crud out of them!"

azraelws6 wrote:

monker59 wrote:If that be the case, I guess I can't criticize his country for being overly confident. Canada hasn't done anything with confidence.

hmmmm..... except refusing to go to war in Iraq for NOTHING

If you read the news you'd know that the war in Iraq is a war being supported by the MINORITY of U.S. citizens.

azraelws6 wrote:(and of course repeatedly beating the US in every men's and women's international and Olympic hockey game in the past decade - we did THAT with confidence!)

Ooooh...hockey! It's your only f***ing sport! Ever won a medal in something that doesn't involve ice?

Lord Freddie wrote:Oi! We gave you Mr Bean! Show some respect!

So you're saying your greatest contribution to the U.S. and the world is Rowan Atkinson?

If only Oliver Cromwell had stayed in power!

Seeing how this thread has indeed become a UK/US/Canada bashing extravaganza, I thought it might be funny to throw in this joke I just received by e-mail. How appropriate!

Three blondes died and found themselves standing before St.Peter. He told them that before they could enter the Kingdom, they had to tell him what Easter represented.

The first blonde, an American, said "Easter is a holiday where they have a big feast and we give thanks and eat turkey." St. Peter said, "Noooooo," and he banished her to Hell.

The second blonde, a Brit, said "Easter is when we celebrate Jesus' birth and exchange gifts." St. Peter said, "Noooooo," and he banished her to Hell.

The third blonde, a Canadian, said she knew what Easter was, and St. Peter said,"So, tell me."
She said, "Easter is a Christian holiday that coincides with the Jewish festival of Passover. Jesus was having Passover feast with His disciples when He was betrayed by Judas, and the Romans arrested Him. The Romans hung Him on the cross and eventually He died. Then they buried Him in a tomb behind a very large boulder ...

"St. Peter said, "Verrrrrry good."

Then the blonde continued, "Now, every year the boulder is rolled away and Jesus comes out. If he sees his shadow, we have six more weeks of hockey."

(yes that's all we think about!)

It's good to finally see some impartial jokes. Comedy makes things all better.

Oh I'd say England's contributed many things to the wider world - lightbulbs, the train, gas masks, the internal combustion engine, the electric motor, penicilin, the submarine, the internet... viagra...

Anyhow, as Demitri said let's not turn this into a nation-bashing thread! We're all united here at TM by a common cause.

Some one skilled with a kife could kill 33 people. In a go, And before the leftys strat jumping up and down Democracey was won with a gun....

o.k now you're being silly (and I'm starting to think that may be your point?). If you cant see that guns are far more dangerous than a kitchen knife then there is little point having such a debate. Name one instance of over 10 people being killed in a mass school killing spree. On the flip side, I could name you countless school shootings.

And you cant 'win' democracy with a gun. Look at Iraq. You CAN get rid of tyranny with a gun, but democracy only follows with concensus.

I don't want to get into US bashing, but the people of the USA are only against the war in Iraq now its gone pear shaped and their boys are coming home in coffins. When it started, and up until the point when it took a gradual turn for the worse, they were all for it. Hindsight is great, and its easy for those people to say now that it was wrong.

Okay Cardza, just one more thing, you've made it so easy.

Cardza wrote:Oh I'd say England's contributed many things to the wider world - lightbulbs

True, the first "arc lamp" was created by Sir Humphry Davy in 1809. However, it emitted a blinding light and was too expensive to manufacture. It wasn't until the 1870s when American inventor Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb which we still use today.

Cardza wrote:gas masks

Actually, the first gas-mask-like device that was patented was invented in 1799 by Prussian miner, Alexander von Humboldt. Then Garrett A. Morgan, an African-American, patented his gas-mask in 1914. It wasn't until 1915 that the first British pH helmet was issued and a box respirator in 1916.

Cardza wrote:the internal combustion engine

The first combustion engine was described by Leonardo da Vinci in 1509. True, in the 17th century Sir Samuel Morland used gunpowder to power water pumps but it was extremely dangerous and ineffective. On April 1st, 1826, that Ameican Samuel Morey patented his invention the "Gas or Vapor Engine" that was effectively used.

Cardza wrote:the electric motor

Sort of true. The idea of converting electrical power into motor energy was suggested by British scientist Michael Faraday in 1821. Also, the first commutator-type direct-current motor was invented by British scientist William Sturgeon. However, Belgian Zenobe Gramme, made the first modern DC motor.

Cardza wrote:penicilin

I'll give you credit for being in the ballpark, but missing the facts. Penicillin was discovered by Scottish scientist Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928. So, in the UK, but not British.

Cardza wrote:the submarine

Unfortunately, it was during WWII that Nazi Germany developed the Unterseeboot (commonly called the "U-boat" in English). True, the British and Germans were developing an underwater craft simulataneously but it was the Germans who first launched such a craft.

Cardza wrote:the internet

Actually, shortly after the launch of Sputnik, the U.S. formed the ARPA (now known as the DARPA) which launched the SAGE program which linked radar programs across the country. In charge of this project was JCR Licklider. Licklider worked at MIT which worked on SAGE. After the cold war, the project kept growing until in 1991 the Internet was born.

Cardza wrote:viagra

True, Viagra was being manufacture by Pfizer in Kent. But the Pfizer company is based in New York. Pfizer just happened to have a research facility in England.

Cardza wrote:Anyhow, as Demitri said let's not turn this into a nation-bashing thread! We're all united here at TM by a common cause.

Couldn't agree more. It's just that your statement need to be corrected for historical accuracy.

People shot round here in the last week (and you can get a shooter round here for about £30 but they never lugars for some reason ) 0 stabbings 4 that I know of.

Has for citing the falklands war let me educate our young friend the greatest leader this country has ever seen had to defend its people. Also these are facts, the british was going to give the islands up. Each family was offred £1,000,000 to relocate through out the common wealth mainly down under. The argies jumped the gun. The Falklands war was not against the falklands!

As for Andy a wise man once said "The best form of dictatorship is democracey" And any way the Iraqi people dont want democracey so the thrust it upon people.....


Spot of afternoon tea my Lordship?

EDIT: for our smart mouth young friend

we invented

the jet engine
Televison
The toilet
The Lee enfield rifle
afternoon tea

Once again, if you keep up to date with international news, you'd know that the war in Iraq is a war being fought by only about 30% of the U.S. population. That makes about 2,100,000 U.S. citizens against the war. Also, when the war was first proposed, the idea for war was supported by a mere 55% of the U.S. population. I would like to proudly state that I was in that 45% percent that called for no war in Iraq, Afganistan, and now probably in Iran.

Yes, tea sounds lovely. Perhaps I could bring along a tin of biscuits?

monker59 wrote:

seige wrote:

monker59 wrote:I think that it's also funny how the UK thinks that they are the best country in the world. You don't try to conquer half of the globe without confidence.

This really made me chuckle.

The UK doesn't have to prove itself. It just gets dragged into conflict by more stupid warmonger-trigger-happy-'superpowers'.

Really?! You're dragged into conflict? What about the War of 1812? What about the Falklands War?

The British wrote:Those puny islands are giving us guff. Let's beat the crud out of them!"

azraelws6 wrote:

monker59 wrote:If that be the case, I guess I can't criticize his country for being overly confident. Canada hasn't done anything with confidence.

hmmmm..... except refusing to go to war in Iraq for NOTHING

If you read the news you'd know that the war in Iraq is a war being supported by the MINORITY of U.S. citizens.

azraelws6 wrote:(and of course repeatedly beating the US in every men's and women's international and Olympic hockey game in the past decade - we did THAT with confidence!)

Ooooh...hockey! It's your only f***ing sport! Ever won a medal in something that doesn't involve ice?

Lord Freddie wrote:Oi! We gave you Mr Bean! Show some respect!

So you're saying your greatest contribution to the U.S. and the world is Rowan Atkinson?

If only Oliver Cromwell had stayed in power!

Benny Hill, Monty Python and Are You Being Served as well!!

What do you give us in return F***ing FRIENDS????????

monker59 wrote:
Yes, tea sounds lovely. Perhaps I could bring along a tin of biscuits?

If you would Jeeves

If only Oliver Cromwell had stayed in power!

The states would have never been founded.

When God is creating the world, he turns to St Peter and says:
"I've just built a country called Canada. I've given them fresh air, beautiful landscapes and the people will be good looking and intelligent."

St Peter says: "Why are you being so generous?"

God replies: "Wait till you see who their neighbours are!"





BTW: One of the great things the English invented of course is the ENGLISH LANGUAGE which you Americans use and abuse daily.
It's maths not 'math'!!!

monker59 wrote:Once again, if you keep up to date with international news, you'd know that the war in Iraq is a war being fought by only about 30% of the U.S. population. That makes about 2,100,000 U.S. citizens against the war. Also, when the war was first proposed, the idea for war was supported by a mere 55% of the U.S. population. I would like to proudly state that I was in that 45% percent that called for no war in Iraq, Afganistan, and now probably in Iran.

Yes, tea sounds lovely. Perhaps I could bring along a tin of biscuits?

I'm glad you said 'biscuits'. If you'd have said bleedin 'cookies' I wouldn't have been 'appy!!!

Nice use of Wikipedia there monker

Although, you did mention the UK... and Scotland is part of the UK... and British pharmacists were the ones who threw Viagra together... and Tim Berners-Lee is credited with the creation of the web (along with a Belgian fellow) and come on, Isaac Newton, Hume (Scottish), Locke and Berkeley!



Anyway, don't want to derail the thread anymore.

Our own personal Batman (being a good ol blighty term for butler) Biscuits.... Do warm the pot first please and milk in last! You must teach these savages. What do you think Lord Freddie?