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From:
"Stadem, Richard D." <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
TechNet E-Mail Forum <[log in to unmask]>, Stadem, Richard D.
Date:
Mon, 29 Jun 2015 14:25:24 +0000
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Ok, Graham, points well taken. I was there last summer, but only on an overnighter. My apologies.
I just get tired of the rest of the world bashing the U.S.; whether as a joke, or not.

However, I have been to Norway several times in the past two years, both working and visiting family. I confess I was ignorant at that time about two things: the world's refugee problems and fotbal.
Because my wife's cousin is what is known as a fotbalgal in Norspeak, I quickly became educated in what I once thought was a boring game. I attended a game recently between Bergen Brann and the Sogndal SK team in Bergen, and boy, what a blast I had, both in becoming more familiar with the game, and with the fan's cult-like following of their teams as well. I couldn't help but compare it to college football here in the U.S. 
Today I am a die-hard Brann fan. I was given a Brann kit as a gift, but the first time I wore the jersey here at GD in the U.S., and because I had picked up their dialect which includes calling Bergen, Baargen, when someone asked me what Brann meant I responded "It's a fotbal team, Baargen Brann". They thought I meant I bought it at Walmart!

On the refugee issue, this is a worldwide problem, and there are so many issues within the issue it is heartbreaking. Norway has always been an extremely progressive country and they have their own issues with refugees. The problem is often that the refugees are coming out of war-torn countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia, Iran, and now Syria and even Libya, and the people are somewhat shell-shocked and are in a survival mode. So they arrive in other "host countries" and are forced to live in refugee camps such as the ones you describe. The "native" population is impacted in terms of having their lives changed by climbing crime rates, fewer jobs for their teens, and eventually, fewer jobs with lower pay for the adults as well. Then comes the backlash; they do not want any more refugees, which literally leads to boatloads of newly disenfranchised refugees looking for a place to land, so to speak. Or there is the alternative, hundreds of thousands of people living in war-torn countries just trying to survive.
Norway recently proposed taking on 10,000 more refugees over a three-year period, which is a big chunk when you consider their population is 7 million plus people. The backlash to this proposition was so strong they ended up agreeing to take only 7,000 (I think), but eastern Oslo already has a major issue with a booming drug trade, uncontrolled male and female prostitution (which is legal), uncontrolled child prostitution (which is not legal), and its associated crime and disease, low wages, and unemployment, all of which can be blamed on a huge influx of refugees. I think it has changed Norway, just as it has changed the U.S., and I do not believe the change has been at all positive, as so many politicians would have us believe. You are absolutely correct that it is a problem the politicians are not only incapable of fixing, but also unwilling. The root cause of the issue is beyond their control.

And when I look at who is running the U.S. today, and could possibly have in 2016, either the Queen or Tony Blair are very attractive alternatives!

dean


-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Graham Naisbitt
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2015 5:57 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [TN] NTC The USA on notice

Hello Richard, Doug and fellow Techies

Doug is right, I cannot restrain myself.

Richard, it must be way back in the 60’s when you last made a visit. We presently have in excess of 800 TV Channels, far too many of which are US programmes with interminable and insufferable ad breaks.

As regards immigration, right now we have uncontrolled immigration that has swelled our population by millions in just the past few years. When you were last here, assuming I am right and it was back in the 60’s or 70’s, our population was 52 million, it is now 64 million - that we know about! The is a city camp in Calais where thousands of immigrants are trying desperately to get into my country (we’d prefer it if they didn’t):

Shared from Sky News: Urgent Summit To Deal With Calais Migrants http://news.sky.com/story/1508346/urgent-summit-to-deal-with-calais-migrants
 
Of course we now have millions of disenfranchised people from Syria and the middle east, trying to escape ISIS. A problem that, I fear, no politician is capable of handling.

On the subject of soccer, you and I are in full agreement. On the subject of rugby, watch this space. I believe rugby will be the fastest growing sport in the USA over the next few years and that the USA could win the World Cup within the next 10 years - it will be huge. I commend everyone to at least watch one top level game and make up your own mind. BTW, the Rugby World Cup begins in September here in the UK with teams participating from….all around the world. Now that’s a true World Series!

http://www.rugbyworldcup.com

Support your USA team, they are already impressive. FYI, USA is in Pool B and I would put money on you qualifying for the play-off’s together with South Africa.

One final closing note: My Dad was at one time, the Vice-President of the Royal Society of St George, THE patriotic society for England. It was originally founded in the USA by American's who wished to remain loyal to the Crown, and it remains flourishing all over the USA. God Bless them all. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2nd is, to me, preferable to a President who, God forbid, might be Tony Blair.

Do keep in mind however, that we here in the UK are reasonably regarded as the 52nd State of the Union.

Have a great weekend everyone and have a wonderful July 4th. We don’t celebrate that, but we’ll be thinking of you...

Graham Naisbitt
 
> On 25 Jun 2015, at 20:02, Douglas Pauls <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Now Mr. Stadem, that seems quite cynical.  You overlook the advantages.
> You know how we struggle with our immigration problem.  I am sure the 
> Brits have that issue well in hand and can teach us the proper way to do it.
> 
> I figure if we lob enough of these grenades Graham will not be able to 
> restrain himself......
> 
> 
> Doug Pauls
> Principal Materials and Process Engineer Rockwell Collins
> 
> On Thu, Jun 25, 2015 at 1:58 PM, Stadem, Richard D. < 
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
>> But instead of the attack ads, you will see non-stop coverage of 
>> every frickin' minutial detail of the Oh-God-So-Boring daily lives of 
>> each and every one of the members of the Royal Family instead, 24 
>> hours a day, 392 days a year. That is much, much worse. I know; I've 
>> been there. It's on every TV channel (they only have two) and on the 
>> front of every newspaper (there is little else to report).
>> 
>> In England, spontaneity is a four-letter word. ANYTHING out of the 
>> ordinary, any little tiny detail, sets them howling.
>> 
>> I heard this the last time I was there: "Well goodness, bosh, that 
>> train is more than a minute late! I'll have a word with 'em, indeed I will, umph!
>> This shan't continue!".
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Douglas Pauls
>> Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2015 7:49 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: [TN] NTC The USA on notice
>> 
>> If the UK wishes to assume our 18.625 trillion dollars in debt, be my 
>> guest.
>> 
>> And going without elections will mean our next year's TV spots will 
>> not be filled with those God-Awful political attack ads.
>> 
>> 
>> Doug Pauls
>> Principal Materials and Process Engineer Rockwell Collins
>> 
>> On Thu, Jun 25, 2015 at 4:04 AM, Brian Ellis <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> 
>>> The following Royal Proclamation has been issued. To make it 
>>> relevant to this forum, I have added a clause 16.
>>> 
>>> A MESSAGE FROM THE QUEEN
>>> 
>>> To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign 
>>> Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
>>> 
>>> In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent 
>>> candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, 
>>> we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, 
>>> effective immediately. (You should look up 'revocation' in the 
>>> Oxford English
>>> Dictionary.)
>>> 
>>> Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical 
>>> duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except North 
>>> Dakota, which she does not fancy).
>>> 
>>> Your new Prime Minister, David Cameron, will appoint a Governor for 
>>> America without the need for further elections.
>>> 
>>> Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be 
>>> circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.
>>> 
>>> To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the 
>>> following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
>>> 
>>> -----------------------
>>> 
>>> 1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,' 'favour,'
>>> 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut'
>>> without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be 
>>> replaced by the suffix '-ise.' Generally, you will be expected to 
>>> raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary').
>>> 
>>> ------------------------
>>> 
>>> 2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises 
>>> such as ''like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient 
>>> form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We 
>>> will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker 
>>> will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u'' and 
>>> the elimination of '-ize.'
>>> 
>>> -------------------
>>> 
>>> 3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
>>> 
>>> -----------------
>>> 
>>> 4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, 
>>> lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and 
>>> therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns 
>>> should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things 
>>> out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're 
>>> not ready
>> to shoot grouse.
>>> 
>>> ----------------------
>>> 
>>> 5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything 
>>> more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be 
>>> required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
>>> 
>>> ----------------------
>>> 
>>> 6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will 
>>> start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same 
>>> time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the 
>>> benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will 
>>> help you understand the British sense of humour.
>>> 
>>> --------------------
>>> 
>>> 7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have 
>>> been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.
>>> 
>>> -------------------
>>> 
>>> 8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French 
>>> fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling 
>>> potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, 
>>> fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.
>>> 
>>> -------------------
>>> 
>>> 9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not 
>>> actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be 
>>> referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted 
>>> provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also 
>>> acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation 
>>> on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of 
>>> the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands 
>>> will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be 
>>> sold
>> without risk of further confusion.
>>> 
>>> ---------------------
>>> 
>>> 10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors 
>>> as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors 
>>> to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English 
>>> dialect in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to 
>>> having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.
>>> 
>>> ---------------------
>>> 
>>> 11. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind 
>>> of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough 
>>> will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities 
>>> to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every 
>>> twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of
>> nancies).
>>> 
>>> ---------------------
>>> 
>>> 12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to 
>>> host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played 
>>> outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a 
>>> world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will 
>>> learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to 
>>> take the sting out of their deliveries.
>>> 
>>> --------------------
>>> 
>>> 13.. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
>>> 
>>> -----------------
>>> 
>>> 14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her 
>>> Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the 
>>> acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
>>> 
>>> ---------------
>>> 
>>> 15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with 
>>> saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and 
>>> cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.
>>> 
>>> ---------------
>>> 
>>> 16. Those devices and systems using the term "printed wiring" will 
>>> henceforth be known as "printed circuit" with immediate effect. This 
>>> will enable the IPC to resume its historic appellation of 'Institute 
>>> of Printed Circuits'
>>> 
>>> God Save the Queen!
>>> 
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