Culture: Two nations divided...

[barra]

Yup, I got that. And "Sorry I blew up" is a way of saying "Oops, I made a mistake". But you guys DO talk funny

I have a couple of wonderful friends from across the ditch from you in Rangiora, New Zealand. They talk funny, too, but stil not as funny as you Aussies. They use words like "chilly bins", "jandles", "trolleys", and others I can't think of right off the bat. When they come here, I feel as if I'm on an alien planet

Ah the old Kiwi ch'lly b'n. They also count to 10 kinda funny (somewhere between 5 and 7). In Aus we refer to what in the US gets called a shopping cart as a shopping trolley. We have this wierd thing going where, when I'm in the States I call them carts and my partner in crime now without thinking calls them trollies. I have her trained to the point where she calls the hood of the car, a bonnet, the trunk a boot and the windshield a windscreen. But the peace of resistance is she eats Vegemite and loves it.

Barra

[Johanna]

Barra, don't be silly. Those aren't "carts", they are "buggies". Ask anyone south of the Mason Dixon line.

~J

[tonyc1]

A "blue"? I thought you just buggered up. Sorry I blew up!

I just wanted to be polite!

[UKRay]

I came across this site, which is fascinating. Many words can be found out, so youse guys from America, may find this helpful in deciphering just what the hell UKRAY is talking sometimes...lol.

http://www.translatebritish.com/dictionary.php

I'm not sure about the provenance for some of the words on that website, RDB. There were some there I had never heard of. Anyway, it would take more than a website to unravel the nonsense I talk!

Just so you know - I have one last jar of Marmite plus some delicious UK candy left... Any takers?

[ferret]

Lastly, when I think of cockney, I think of "Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels" (One of my favorite movies) how close is that to the "real" thing?

It's a movie so it's slightly exagerrated, but they did use a few local villains so the accents are genuine, although it sounds more south London than cockney (east London). You'd have to live in London for years to notice the subtle differences.

[Leerwerker]

One South African delicacy I have not seen in the USA is jam / preserves made from watermelon peel - is it made anywhere here?

[tonyc1]

After listening to the radio yesterday I've arrived at the idea that US people have a lot easier way to vote than we do here in Australia. Is it true that you will be able to do "Drive Thru Voting" and not even have to get out of your car, and will you be able to vote at supermarkets?

Here, we have to go to designated polling booths ( Usually community halls and schools ) that are open for 12 hours and voting is compulsory and all on one day!

Is voting similar in UK, Ray?

Tony.

[UKRay]

After listening to the radio yesterday I've arrived at the idea that US people have a lot easier way to vote than we do here in Australia. Is it true that you will be able to do "Drive Thru Voting" and not even have to get out of your car, and will you be able to vote at supermarkets?

Here, we have to go to designated polling booths ( Usually community halls and schools ) that are open for 12 hours and voting is compulsory and all on one day!

Is voting similar in UK, Ray?

Tony.

It sounds very similar, Tony. Here in Ludlow, we do our voting in the public library - very handy if you want to do a little reference work whilst you are waiting. Other places use the village hall, local school or any other similar publicly owned building.

We generally have a bunch of official looking people standing by to make sure the voting is all fair and above board but, to be honest, it is rare that anything untoward happens round here. The biggest excitement we have had in the past 12 months was when a recently refurbished Victorian public lavatory (I think that is a restroom?) got washed away in a flood - fortunately nobody was inside... There was the incident when a horse stamped through the bottom of its horsebox whilst parked in the market square - that made the front page of the local paper and another time a local council meeting turned into a fight - but as I say, nothing much of note happens round here since the 'youth problem' was locked up - he was a nice enough lad really... Sorry, I digressed horribly...

IMHO, voting is not something that looms large here on the Welsh Borders. Not unless it is to appoint local councillors, in which case a short flurry of activity punctuates the general apathy. I live in a particularly poor area where jobs are scarce and wages are well below the national average. It is quite common for people only to have part time work. In general, I think local people are far too busy trying to scrape a living to get too involved in politics. Obviously we have our political zealots and professional local politicians but events in London are seen as happening a long way away and don't seem to involve us much. We are pretty remote here! Perhaps the other Brits can help out?

All Marmite is now posted and gone!

[tonyc1]

It sounds very similar, Tony. Here in Ludlow, we do our voting in the public library - very handy if you want to do a little reference work whilst you are waiting. Other places use the village hall, local school or any other similar publicly owned building.

We generally have a bunch of official looking people standing by to make sure the voting is all fair and above board but, to be honest, it is rare that anything untoward happens round here. The biggest excitement we have had in the past 12 months was when a recently refurbished Victorian public lavatory (I think that is a restroom?) got washed away in a flood - fortunately nobody was inside... There was the incident when a horse stamped through the bottom of its horsebox whilst parked in the market square - that made the front page of the local paper and another time a local council meeting turned into a fight - but as I say, nothing much of note happens round here since the 'youth problem' was locked up - he was a nice enough lad really... Sorry, I digressed horribly...

IMHO, voting is not something that looms large here on the Welsh Borders. Not unless it is to appoint local councillors, in which case a short flurry of activity punctuates the general apathy. I live in a particularly poor area where jobs are scarce and wages are well below the national average. It is quite common for people only to have part time work. In general, I think local people are far too busy trying to scrape a living to get too involved in politics. Obviously we have our political zealots and professional local politicians but events in London are seen as happening a long way away and don't seem to involve us much. We are pretty remote here! Perhaps the other Brits can help out?

All Marmite is now posted and gone!

Pretty much the same here, except Council Elections carry very little interest here in Tasmania, unless it is something very radical.

[JohnD]

Tony,

I haven't heard about the drive thru voting. Here in the town I live in NH, It's basically the same as you described for yourself. A local hotel would give up their function room for the day, before the Community center was built, But, we head in there anytime between 7am and 7pm, check in with your ID, head to the booth, vote, and put your ballot in the electronic paper shredder looking thing and, TA DA, you've just excercised! your right to vote.

John