On Sep 23, 12:08*pm, Cindy Hamilton >
wrote:
> On Sep 23, 11:16*am, Janet > wrote:
>
> > In article <1d4306d0-ae31-4373-9970-1c7054806178
> > @u13g2000vbo.googlegroups.com>, says...
>
> > > As for passports, I don't have any relatives in any other countries,
> > > so an "emergency" need for a passport is non-existent in my life.
>
> > *You have no relatives who ever travel abroad, even on business?
>
> My husband has traveled to England once or twice on business,
> and I never considered getting a passport. *If he had some
> emergency, what good would I do? *I'm not a doctor or a nurse.
>
> Of course, the most likely thing would have been that his
> helicopter crashed, thus automating his cremation.
>
> Cindy Hamilton

I kind of had the same thoughts - what's the point to an emergency
flight to somewhere because a relative has an emergency? Even if it
wasn't a helicopter crash, one doesn't need to show up to ship a body
back to the US.

N.

On Sep 23, 2:36*pm, Cindy Hamilton >
wrote:
> On Sep 23, 3:05*pm, Janet > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > In article <3368d2c2-78c5-486a-a561-
> > >,
> > says...
>
> > > On Sep 23, 11:16*am, Janet > wrote:
> > > > In article <1d4306d0-ae31-4373-9970-1c7054806178
> > > > @u13g2000vbo.googlegroups.com>, says...
>
> > > > > As for passports, I don't have any relatives in any other countries,
> > > > > so an "emergency" need for a passport is non-existent in my life.
>
> > > > *You have no relatives who ever travel abroad, even on business?
>
> > > My husband has traveled to England once or twice on business,
> > > and I never considered getting a passport. *If he had some
> > > emergency, what good would I do? *I'm not a doctor or a nurse.
>
> > * *You might want to visit him in hospital? Keep him company till he was
> > fit to return home? *Or, when he was discharged, you might want to
> > support him on the long flight home.
>
> As I said, he's much more likely to have ended up as toast than
> as a hospital patient. *When you're strapped into the open doorway
> of a helicopter, there isn't much chance of survival if the
> "collection of parts rotating around an oil leak" has a problem.
>
> I thought I had an aerial picture of Stonehenge that he took
> on that trip, but all I've got is Hoover Dam:
>
> http://www.adi.com/~hamilton/foot.jpg
>
> That's his own foot in the foreground. *He always takes one
> like that.
>
> Cindy Hamilton- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Way cool - I admire people who aren't afraid of heights. ;-)

N.

On Sep 23, 3:02*pm, Janet > wrote:
> In article <15827bcc-309e-4f1f-8957-2e283fa21ff4
> @f26g2000vbm.googlegroups.com>, says...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Sep 23, 12:01*pm, ChattyCathy > wrote:
> > > Nancy2 wrote:
> > > > On Sep 23, 9:16*am, ChattyCathy > wrote:
>
> > > >> That's much pricier than what we pay here - but on reflection, that's
> > > >> only $16.50 per year. Some people spend (almost) that per month to
> > > >> access Usenet, so I don't think it would exactly break the bank - and
> > > >> at least if an urgent need arose to have a passport (death of a
> > > >> family member elsewhere in the world, for example), one wouldn't have
> > > >> the hassle (and extra expense) of applying for an emergency travel
> > > >> document/passport.
>
> > > > I venture an opinion that your accusation that Americans don't think
> > > > about anything beyond their borders, might equally apply to you .....
>
> > > Well, not exactly. I have a passport because I actually acknowledge the
> > > fact that there are other civilized countries beyond our borders. And
> > > I've even been off the continent of Africa to visit relatives who
> > > reside in UK/Europe, no less. BTW, the USA *is* still on my list
> > > of "must see" places because I have quite a few relatives there that I
> > > haven't seen in over 25 years - not to mention a bunch of r.f.c.-ers
> > > who I'd dearly like to meet in RL.
>
> > > > you assume everyone has the same options as South Africans, and don't
> > > > make allowances for things you have mistaken assumptions about. *But
> > > > then sweeping generalizations are easy.
>
> > > I see. But is it safe to assume that you've never felt the need to apply
> > > for a passport or ventured further than neighboring countries where no
> > > passport control is required?
>
> > > --
> > > Cheers
> > > Chatty Cathy
>
> > One thing that frequently gets overlooked in this kind of discussion
> > is the amount of vacation an average USian has, and an average
> > European has. *(I don't know what South Africa is like, in terms of
> > annual vacation time.) *Most folks here get 2 weeks a year. *A
> > fortunate few who have been at their job a long time (10 years,
> > generally) get 4 weeks.
>
> * 4 weeks as in 28 days?
>
> > It's my understanding talking with co-workers
> > in England and Australia that everybody gets 6 weeks, minimum.
>
> * *Nope. In Britain, the legal entitlement for fulltime employees, is
> described as "5.6 weeks". *You might think that means calendar weeks, 39
> days, but what it actually means, is " working weeks ". The "working
> week" is *5 days not 7. *So, *annual leave for someone who works five
> days a week, *is 28 days. Part timers get less of course.
>
> * Janet UK- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

That's still twice as much as is given here for most corporate and
private sector jobs, unless one is an executive. Higher ed employees
enjoy more, as a rule, if they're professional status and not
clerical.

N.

"J. Clarke" > wrote in
:

> On 9/22/2010 8:18 PM, Aussie wrote:

>>
>> A lot of places here will ask for up to 4 items of ID in some cases when
>> you go to apply for something. A passport gets you maximum points in any
>> ID check.
>
> In the US a CCW does that.
>


I can understand that you'd need ID checked up the wahzoo to get a CCW, but
wouldn't flashing the CCW permit all over the place to use as a form of ID
sorta negate the whole purpose of a CCW?



--
Peter Lucas
Hobart
Tasmania

The act of feeding someone is an act of beauty,
whether it's a full Sunday roast or a jam sandwich,
but only when done with love.

Nancy2 wrote:
> On Sep 23, 3:02 pm, Janet > wrote:

>> Nope. In Britain, the legal entitlement for fulltime employees, is
>> described as "5.6 weeks". You might think that means calendar weeks,
>> 39 days, but what it actually means, is " working weeks ". The
>> "working week" is 5 days not 7. So, annual leave for someone who
>> works five days a week, is 28 days. Part timers get less of course.
>
> That's still twice as much as is given here for most corporate and
> private sector jobs, unless one is an executive. Higher ed employees
> enjoy more, as a rule, if they're professional status and not
> clerical.

And when we say we get 2 weeks, it doesn't mean 14 days,
it means 10. People generally get 2 weeks after a year or so
and they start adding more weeks at 10 or 15 years. People aren't
staying in jobs as long as they used to, so long vacation allotments
are being scarcer.

nancy

On 9/23/2010 4:41 PM, Aussie wrote:
> "J. > wrote in
> :
>
>> On 9/22/2010 8:18 PM, Aussie wrote:
>
>>>
>>> A lot of places here will ask for up to 4 items of ID in some cases when
>>> you go to apply for something. A passport gets you maximum points in any
>>> ID check.
>>
>> In the US a CCW does that.
>>
>
>
> I can understand that you'd need ID checked up the wahzoo to get a CCW, but
> wouldn't flashing the CCW permit all over the place to use as a form of ID
> sorta negate the whole purpose of a CCW?

Nope. The fact that one has a CCW doesn't mean that one is carrying on
that day.

"J. Clarke" > wrote in
:

> On 9/23/2010 4:41 PM, Aussie wrote:
>> "J. > wrote in
>> :
>>
>>> On 9/22/2010 8:18 PM, Aussie wrote:
>>
>>>>
>>>> A lot of places here will ask for up to 4 items of ID in some cases
>>>> when you go to apply for something. A passport gets you maximum
>>>> points in any ID check.
>>>
>>> In the US a CCW does that.
>>>
>>
>>
>> I can understand that you'd need ID checked up the wahzoo to get a CCW,
>> but wouldn't flashing the CCW permit all over the place to use as a
>> form of ID sorta negate the whole purpose of a CCW?
>
> Nope. The fact that one has a CCW doesn't mean that one is carrying on
> that day.


LOL!! Sorta like the sticker I had on one of my cars...... "This car is
protected by Smith and Wesson 4 days a week. You guess which 4 days." :-)



--
Peter Lucas
Hobart
Tasmania

The act of feeding someone is an act of beauty,
whether it's a full Sunday roast or a jam sandwich,
but only when done with love.

"J. Clarke" > wrote in message
...
> On 9/23/2010 11:18 AM, sf wrote:
>> On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 10:00:30 -0400, "J. Clarke"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> Not exaggerating at all.
>>> <http://travel.state.gov/passport/fees/fees_837.html>. And it's
>>> actually $135. I forgot about the execution fee. And there's another
>>> 10 bucks or so to get a picture taken. So it's more than $140 all up.
>>>
>>> Note that the $30 "passport card" listed on that site is good _only_ for
>>> travel to and from Canada and Mexico by road, rail, or foot--it's not
>>> good for air travel or for going anywhere other than Mexico or Canada.
>>
>> So the cost of a regular passport has gone up in the last 5 years?
>> Ours were significantly under $100 back then... more like $50. What
>> costs is the extra visa you need for certain countries (I'm talking
>> about day trips, not a 6 month stay). Egypt was a real rip off, for
>> instance.
>
> New fees went into effect on July 13.

I heard they're going up again.

On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:30:29 -0400, "Cheryl" >
wrote:

>I heard they're going up again.

Up to what, and why? Do they want us to spend that stimulus money at
home, not abroad?

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:44:55 -0400, blake murphy
> wrote:

>'donuts' just ain't right.

It's perfect, AFAIC.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:01:40 +0200, ChattyCathy
> wrote:

>I see. But is it safe to assume that you've never felt the need to apply
>for a passport or ventured further than neighboring countries where no
>passport control is required?

I think "was" is the operating word now. Visiting Canada and Mexico
are usually given for us. Visiting anywhere else is not. Visiting
parts of the USA where we don't live is actually a very big deal.
It's a huge place with distinct areas that would be similar to you
visiting another country... think about the Hawaiian Islands, the
Badlands in Wyoming and the Green Mountains in New York state for
starters.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

sf wrote:

> Visiting parts of the USA where we don't live is actually a very big deal.
> It's a huge place with distinct areas that would be similar to you
> visiting another country... think about the Hawaiian Islands, the Badlands
> in Wyoming and the Green Mountains in New York state for starters.

Badlands National Park is actually in South Dakota. (Of course, there *are*
badlands in Wyoming: Hell's Half-Acre qualifies, but it's much smaller than
the national park.)

Bob, drove through the South Dakota badlands in 1987

Brian wrote:

>> However, if you think the aluminum spelling/pronunciation is more
>> logical, maybe all the countries on this fine planet should switch to
>> spelling sodium as "sodinum" and potassium as "potassinum" and
>> magnesium as "magnesinum"? Might make it a lot more, shall we say,
>> conforming - wouldn't you agree?
>
> So you think it should be platinium too?

What about leadium, silverium, ironium, and goldium?

Bob, knowing what Pb, Ag, Fe, and Au stand for

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
...
> sf wrote:
>
>> Visiting parts of the USA where we don't live is actually a very big
>> deal. It's a huge place with distinct areas that would be similar to you
>> visiting another country... think about the Hawaiian Islands, the
>> Badlands in Wyoming and the Green Mountains in New York state for
>> starters.
>
> Badlands National Park is actually in South Dakota. (Of course, there
> *are* badlands in Wyoming: Hell's Half-Acre qualifies, but it's much
> smaller than the national park.)
>
> Bob, drove through the South Dakota badlands in 1987

And the Green Mountains are in Vermont. NYS has the Catskill Mountains
(Sheldonland) and the Adirondack Mountains.

On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:20:16 GMT, Aussie
> wrote:

>LOL!! Sorta like the sticker I had on one of my cars...... "This car is
>protected by Smith and Wesson 4 days a week. You guess which 4 days." :-)

A veiled threat. I'm so scared.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 18:30:16 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

>Badlands National Park is actually in South Dakota. (Of course, there *are*
>badlands in Wyoming: Hell's Half-Acre qualifies, but it's much smaller than
>the national park.)

I f*cked up (not too big time)... and you're absolutely right. Of
course the Badlands are South Dakota! See? The USA is so big I
managed to screw up what state they are in without even trying.



--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

sf > wrote in news:nn8o9617mctpvcu0s9ii3mvh9n1b904sq2@
4ax.com:

> On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:20:16 GMT, Aussie
> > wrote:
>
>>LOL!! Sorta like the sticker I had on one of my cars...... "This car is
>>protected by Smith and Wesson 4 days a week. You guess which 4 days." :-)
>
> A veiled threat. I'm so scared.
>



Humour seems to be lost on you some days, isn't it?


Anyways, it was a direct correaltion example to what "J. Clarke" was saying
about using a CCW licence as ID.



--
Peter Lucas
Hobart
Tasmania

The act of feeding someone is an act of beauty,
whether it's a full Sunday roast or a jam sandwich,
but only when done with love.

On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 21:42:35 -0400, "Paco" > wrote:

>And the Green Mountains are in Vermont.

Lake Ticonderoga, Fort Ticonderoga and Fort William Henry are in
Vermont? Huh. I thought I was in New York state when I visited them.
I didn't see a single sign telling me I was in Vermont or the
Adirondacks and those mountains were definitely green... nothing like
the Black Hills, which are also covered in pine. <shrug>

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Fri, 24 Sep 2010 04:20:58 GMT, Aussie
> wrote:

>sf > wrote in news:nn8o9617mctpvcu0s9ii3mvh9n1b904sq2@
>4ax.com:
>
>> On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:20:16 GMT, Aussie
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>LOL!! Sorta like the sticker I had on one of my cars...... "This car is
>>>protected by Smith and Wesson 4 days a week. You guess which 4 days." :-)
>>
>> A veiled threat. I'm so scared.
>>
>
>
>
>Humour seems to be lost on you some days, isn't it?
>
It wasn't funny, therefore it's not humor.
>
>Anyways, it was a direct correaltion example to what "J. Clarke" was saying
>about using a CCW licence as ID.

Oh, okay. HAR HAR HAR.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Nancy2 wrote:

>
> Nope, you're wrong again - I used to have a passport (as I said before
> in this thread) - and have done land tours in France, Italy, Monaco,
> the Riviera and also cruised twice in the Mediterranean, toured
> Venezuela and some Med. islands ... all back in another lifetime. I
> have never been to Mexico, and have no desire to go there at least in
> the foreseeable future, but I have been to Canada several times (pre-
> homeland security days).

I guess I missed that post; my apologies. But from what I hear, you are
a positive exception, as most USA citizens skip the 'I'll go see for
myself what the rest of the world is like before I decide the USA is
good enough for me' stage and decide there is no need to ever obtain a
passport. So speaking as an American, what percentage of citizens of
the USA would you reckon have passports (taking into account that
needing a passport to cross the border from the USA into Canada has
recently been introduced)? Any idea?

BTW, you might find my family tree quite interesting; plenty of (North)
Americans in there and a bunch of Brits and Europeans too.

And I'll never forget when one of my American relatives happened to be
in Britain for a "family reunion" which I also attended a while back.
He moaned about everything - from the weather to the plumbing to the
food in restaurants because it was all "different" from what he was
used to "back home". And when he discovered that there was no swimming
pool in my Aunt's back yard I thought he was going to have a heart
attack. <laugh>
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Default User wrote:

> "ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Default User wrote:
>
>>> It was originally named "alumium" by Davys, then he later changed it
>>> to aluminum. That's the spelling and pronounciation that became
>>> established in the US and Canada. Still later, the British changed
>>> it again to aluminium to make it more conforming to other names of
>>> metals.
>>
>> Well, if the "British" you speak of founded the International Union
>> of Pure and Applied Chemistry (nowadays known as IUPAC), I guess
>> you'd be correct.
>
> They adopted that in 1990. Did you expect the US and Canada to change?

Yes. They're democracies aren't they? After all they are still a
minority in the global population.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Nancy2 > wrote:

>Fares are ridiculous....when my son wants to fly here from Virginia,
>it costs upwards of $400 or more round-trip, unless there's a deal
>somewhere. And I'm only halfway across the country from him. Often,
>flights to either coast from anywhere are cheaper that shorter
>flights.

The general trend is that air fares are up in the past year or so,
relative to a long stable interval lasting the previous 15 or so years.

Only if a discount carrier such as Southwest or Jetblue is operating in
a given market will fares be low.

I note that Southwest now flies out of Dulles, not sure if that
helps your son's ability to fly for cheap.

Steve

Cindy Hamilton > wrote:

>My husband has traveled to England once or twice on business,
>and I never considered getting a passport. If he had some
>emergency, what good would I do? I'm not a doctor or a nurse.

It's possible for a traveler to have a medical emergency
that prevents him traveling home for weeks, or even months.
Say, they are in traction or somthing. In such an event
it might be advantageous for a loved one to go visit them.

There are outfits that will get you a U.S. passport in as
little as three days, if you pay them many hundreds of
dollars. I prefer to have a passport already on hand.

Steve

J. Clarke > wrote:

>On 9/23/2010 11:22 AM, sf wrote:

>> On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 10:23:51 -0400, "J. Clarke"

>>> In the US a CCW does that.

>> What's that?

>Concealed carry permit. Since it requires a background check and police
>sign-off it trumps just about anything in the ID status game.

Seems to me they should just append the CCW list to the overall
watchlist.

Steve

Michelle > wrote:

>One thing that frequently gets overlooked in this kind of discussion
>is the amount of vacation an average USian has, and an average
>European has. (I don't know what South Africa is like, in terms of
>annual vacation time.) Most folks here get 2 weeks a year. A
>fortunate few who have been at their job a long time (10 years,
>generally) get 4 weeks. It's my understanding talking with co-workers
>in England and Australia that everybody gets 6 weeks, minimum. I
>would travel a lot further if I could take 3-4 weeks of uninterrupted
>time off - but I can't. Sometimes getting 2 weeks together is
>discouraged.

What you say is true. I worked 11 years for one employer, which
got me up to 5 weeks. The next real employer gave me four weeks,
out of recognition of my level of experience in the industry
(translated as, they didn't want to decrease my benefit by too much).

Whereas while self-employed, I can usually travel 8 or 9 weeks
per year.

Steve

On 9/23/2010 6:20 PM, Aussie wrote:
> "J. > wrote in
> :
>
>> On 9/23/2010 4:41 PM, Aussie wrote:
>>> "J. > wrote in
>>> :
>>>
>>>> On 9/22/2010 8:18 PM, Aussie wrote:
>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> A lot of places here will ask for up to 4 items of ID in some cases
>>>>> when you go to apply for something. A passport gets you maximum
>>>>> points in any ID check.
>>>>
>>>> In the US a CCW does that.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I can understand that you'd need ID checked up the wahzoo to get a CCW,
>>> but wouldn't flashing the CCW permit all over the place to use as a
>>> form of ID sorta negate the whole purpose of a CCW?
>>
>> Nope. The fact that one has a CCW doesn't mean that one is carrying on
>> that day.
>
>
> LOL!! Sorta like the sticker I had on one of my cars...... "This car is
> protected by Smith and Wesson 4 days a week. You guess which 4 days." :-)

Didn't know you were allowed to have Smith and Wessons in your car Down
Under.

On 9/24/2010 2:41 AM, sf wrote:
> On Fri, 24 Sep 2010 04:20:58 GMT, Aussie
> > wrote:
>
>> > wrote in news:nn8o9617mctpvcu0s9ii3mvh9n1b904sq2@
>> 4ax.com:
>>
>>> On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:20:16 GMT, Aussie
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> LOL!! Sorta like the sticker I had on one of my cars...... "This car is
>>>> protected by Smith and Wesson 4 days a week. You guess which 4 days." :-)
>>>
>>> A veiled threat. I'm so scared.
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Humour seems to be lost on you some days, isn't it?
>>
> It wasn't funny, therefore it's not humor.

Actually it was, just not to you.

>> Anyways, it was a direct correaltion example to what "J. Clarke" was saying
>> about using a CCW licence as ID.
>
> Oh, okay. HAR HAR HAR.

Thing is, in this state one needs the CCW to have a handgun in one's
possession at all, including driving to the range with it locked in the
trunk. So having the CCW and actually going armed on a regular basis
have little correlation.

On 9/24/2010 12:30 AM, sf wrote:
> On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 21:42:35 -0400, > wrote:
>
>> And the Green Mountains are in Vermont.
>
> Lake Ticonderoga, Fort Ticonderoga and Fort William Henry are in
> Vermont? Huh. I thought I was in New York state when I visited them.
> I didn't see a single sign telling me I was in Vermont or the
> Adirondacks and those mountains were definitely green... nothing like
> the Black Hills, which are also covered in pine.<shrug>

What is your point? "Green Mountains" is a proper noun referring to a
specific group of mountains in Vermont. All mountains that are green
are not part of the Green Mountains.

On 9/24/2010 4:49 AM, ChattyCathy wrote:
> Default User wrote:
>
>> > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Default User wrote:
>>
>>>> It was originally named "alumium" by Davys, then he later changed it
>>>> to aluminum. That's the spelling and pronounciation that became
>>>> established in the US and Canada. Still later, the British changed
>>>> it again to aluminium to make it more conforming to other names of
>>>> metals.
>>>
>>> Well, if the "British" you speak of founded the International Union
>>> of Pure and Applied Chemistry (nowadays known as IUPAC), I guess
>>> you'd be correct.
>>
>> They adopted that in 1990. Did you expect the US and Canada to change?
>
> Yes. They're democracies aren't they? After all they are still a
> minority in the global population.

Dunno what Canada is but the US is not a democracy.

J wrote to Captain Peter Swallows:

>> LOL!! Sorta like the sticker I had on one of my cars...... "This car is
>> protected by Smith and Wesson 4 days a week. You guess which 4 days." :-)
>
> Didn't know you were allowed to have Smith and Wessons in your car Down
> Under.

Swallows is such a fan of the USA that she sometimes believes that she lives
there. And in her fantasy life, she owns a gun big enough to compensate for
her shortcomings in the genital department.

In real life, of course, neither is the case.

Bob

Janet wrote:

> In article <950c81e1-02ed-4b3a-acda-
> >,
> says...

>>
>> I kind of had the same thoughts - what's the point to an emergency
>> flight to somewhere because a relative has an emergency?
>
> So, you wouldn't go to support a relative who had had a heart
> attack,
> stroke, car crash injuries, accident etc, and might be alone in a
> foreign hospital for some time?

But Nancy2 also said elsewhere in this thread:

'As for passports, I don't have any relatives in any other countries, so
an "emergency" need for a passport is non-existent in my life.'

And IIRC, it was Nancy2 who also said to me a while back, 'I cannot
believe you cannot picture a "sausage biscuit." Ever been to a
fast-food place like Hardee's?'

She obviously just assumed that because I subscribe to r.f.c. that I
should know all about sausage biscuits and American burger joints like
Hardee's. [Heh. Even our local McD's outlets don't have sausage
biscuits on their menu.] But it didn't offend me or even surprise me
much - after all I've only been posting here for +/- five years which
still makes me a newbie in the eyes of some posters - and because I
reckon the majority of r.f.c. posters *are* Americans. Admittedly, when
it was pointed out to her that I am in fact a South African, she
apologized politely for her assumption - but the metaphor 'tunnel
vision' still comes to mind here...

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Janet wrote:
> In article >,
> says...

>> And when we say we get 2 weeks, it doesn't mean 14 days,
>> it means 10.
>
> Thanks.. I did wonder about that, in the part of my post you snipped
> :-)
>
> Why do Americans put up with it?

I read somewhere, someone describing the different nationalities.
It went something like French like to make love, Italians like to
eat, blah blah blah and the Americans? They like to work.

nnacy

On Sep 24, 8:31*am, Janet > wrote:
> In article >,
> says...
>
>
>
> > Nancy2 wrote:
> > > On Sep 23, 3:02 pm, Janet > wrote:
>
> > >> Nope. In Britain, the legal entitlement for fulltime employees, is
> > >> described as "5.6 weeks". You might think that means calendar weeks,
> > >> 39 days, but what it actually means, is " working weeks ". The
> > >> "working week" is 5 days not 7. So, annual leave for someone who
> > >> works five days a week, is 28 days. Part timers get less of course.
>
> > > That's still twice as much as is given here for most corporate and
> > > private sector jobs, unless one is an executive. *Higher ed employees
> > > enjoy more, as a rule, if they're professional status and not
> > > clerical.
>
> * *Same for teaching staff here.
>
>
>
> > And when we say we get 2 weeks, it doesn't mean 14 days,
> > it means 10.
>
> * Thanks.. I did wonder about that, in the part of my post you snipped
> :-)
>
> * *Why do Americans put up with it?

Some American workers get no paid vacation at all.

Most Americans feel they have little choice. If they don't like it,
the
employer is free to hire someone else.

In Michigan, employees not subject to some sort of contract
(typically, people who do not belong to a union), can
be fired at any time for absolutely no reason. (Other states have
different laws.)

Here's a good description of it:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will_employment>

Under such conditions, it's hard to justify complaining.

I'm employed at-will, but my employer wants to hire and
retain good people, so we have relatively generous vacation:
four weeks per year (20 days).

Cindy Hamilton

J. Clarke wrote:

>
> Dunno what Canada is but the US is not a democracy.

OMG, I see somebody posted that FB was down for 30 minutes yesterday -
and now you tell me this. Now I know what those hoof beats I hear
approaching must mean...

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

ChattyCathy wrote:

> I guess I missed that post; my apologies. But from what I hear, you
> are a positive exception, as most USA citizens skip the 'I'll go see
> for myself what the rest of the world is like before I decide the USA
> is good enough for me' stage and decide there is no need to ever
> obtain a passport. So speaking as an American, what percentage of
> citizens of the USA would you reckon have passports (taking into
> account that needing a passport to cross the border from the USA into
> Canada has recently been introduced)? Any idea?

Looking around I saw a guessimate of 28%. I'm curious what
percentage of Canadians have a passport, I saw 34% or so, and
these figures were from when you didn't need one to travel between
our countries, so the numbers are up by now.

> BTW, you might find my family tree quite interesting; plenty of
> (North) Americans in there and a bunch of Brits and Europeans too.
>
> And I'll never forget when one of my American relatives happened to be
> in Britain for a "family reunion" which I also attended a while back.
> He moaned about everything - from the weather to the plumbing to the
> food in restaurants because it was all "different" from what he was
> used to "back home". And when he discovered that there was no swimming
> pool in my Aunt's back yard I thought he was going to have a heart
> attack. <laugh>

Some people are just like that. He probably bitches wherever he
goes, he didn't have to leave the states to have that reaction.
There are plenty of people everywhere who prefer to stay in
their comfort zone.

For sure we get visitors from abroad who are like him.

I can only speak for myself ... I don't have some hostility towards
the rest of the world like, why would I want to go there?? I know
plenty of people who travel a lot and enjoy it. I also know others
who do not like to travel. It has to do with them, not 'you.'

nancy

On Sep 24, 4:40*am, ChattyCathy > wrote:

> And I'll never forget when one of my American relatives happened to be
> in Britain for a "family reunion" which I also attended a while back.
> He moaned about everything - from the weather to the plumbing to the
> food in restaurants because it was all "different" from what he was
> used to "back home". And when he discovered that there was no swimming
> pool in my Aunt's back yard I thought he was going to have a heart
> attack. *<laugh>

He must be from some relatively warm part of America. Backyard pools
are not that popular here where they can be used only from June
through August or September.

When my husband went to England for his two business trips, his
boss booked him into a hotel that was... older. He complained
that the sinks had separate faucets for hot and cold water, noting
that the idea of mixing valves was about 100 years old, and wondering
why brits seemed uninterested in washing their hands in warm (not
hot, not cold) water. He didn't moan because it was "different", but
because it unaccountably failed to use technology that has been
available for a century.

He like the food, for the most part. He had a pizza somewhere in
Salisbury that had sliced fresh hot peppers on it, and he's been
trying to duplicate the experience ever since.

Cindy Hamilton

On Sep 24, 4:58*am, (Steve Pope) wrote:
> Cindy Hamilton > wrote:
>
> >My husband has traveled to England once or twice on business,
> >and I never considered getting a passport. *If he had some
> >emergency, what good would I do? *I'm not a doctor or a nurse.
>
> It's possible for a traveler to have a medical emergency
> that prevents him traveling home for weeks, or even months.
> Say, they are in traction or somthing. *In such an event
> it might be advantageous for a loved one to go visit them.
>
> There are outfits that will get you a U.S. passport in as
> little as three days, if you pay them many hundreds of
> dollars. *I prefer to have a passport already on hand.
>
> Steve

Yep, if something like that had happened, I would have
paid the extra to get a passport quickly. But in my
53 years on the planet, I've never needed a passport.
Think of all the money I've saved by gambling that
I'll never need one.

Still, if I ever go back to Canada I'll need one now. It
used to be so simple to cross the border. *sigh*
Just another reason to hate those assholes who
hijacked those planes.

Cindy Hamilton

"J. Clarke" > wrote in
:

> On 9/23/2010 6:20 PM, Aussie wrote:

>>>
>>> Nope. The fact that one has a CCW doesn't mean that one is carrying on
>>> that day.
>>
>>
>> LOL!! Sorta like the sticker I had on one of my cars...... "This car is
>> protected by Smith and Wesson 4 days a week. You guess which 4 days." :-)
>
> Didn't know you were allowed to have Smith and Wessons in your car Down
> Under.


Some do, some don't.
Some are legal, some are not :-)


Personally, the S&W's lost their appeal to me back in the late 80's. Why be
arsed with speedloaders every 6 rounds when you can have a Beretta with 16
rounds (if you keep one up the spout).



--
Peter Lucas
Hobart
Tasmania

The act of feeding someone is an act of beauty,
whether it's a full Sunday roast or a jam sandwich,
but only when done with love.

>>Anyways, it was a direct correaltion example to what "J. Clarke" was
>>saying
>>about using a CCW licence as ID.

CCF (changed and no longer W, meaning weapon, but now F for firearm, but you
knew that, right?) permits are valid identification. They are issued by a
government agency, and have a picture on them. Most clerks do not know
this, but they also require a FBI check and an international AFIS (Automated
Fingerprint Identification System) check also, making them much harder to
get than a piddly driver's license. They ARE a legal form of
identification, and if one wanted to press the matter, the clerk and store
would be cited for not taking it.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?
Read up and prepare.
Learn how to care for a friend.
http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

(Steve Pope) wrote in news:i7hphg$cqq$4
@blue.rahul.net:

> Michelle > wrote:
>
>>One thing that frequently gets overlooked in this kind of discussion
>>is the amount of vacation an average USian has, and an average
>>European has. (I don't know what South Africa is like, in terms of
>>annual vacation time.) Most folks here get 2 weeks a year. A
>>fortunate few who have been at their job a long time (10 years,
>>generally) get 4 weeks. It's my understanding talking with co-workers
>>in England and Australia that everybody gets 6 weeks, minimum. I
>>would travel a lot further if I could take 3-4 weeks of uninterrupted
>>time off - but I can't. Sometimes getting 2 weeks together is
>>discouraged.
>
> What you say is true. I worked 11 years for one employer, which
> got me up to 5 weeks. The next real employer gave me four weeks,
> out of recognition of my level of experience in the industry
> (translated as, they didn't want to decrease my benefit by too much).
>
> Whereas while self-employed, I can usually travel 8 or 9 weeks
> per year.
>


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only *2* weeks per year???!!

The *absolute* minimum here in Oz is 4 weeks, and that's for someone who's
only just started in the job!!

I'm pretty sure the SO gets about 5-6 weeks per year..... I know we've
taken a couple of (shortish.... no more than 5-6 days) holidays this year,
and she still has about 4 weeks left.

Plus, as well as getting paid for the time off you get (usually at
Christmas time, or whenever you choose to take the bulk of your leave) you
get what's called a 'Leave Loading' on top of your pay. Usually about 18%
of what your holiday pay is.

--
Peter Lucas
Hobart
Tasmania

The act of feeding someone is an act of beauty,
whether it's a full Sunday roast or a jam sandwich,
but only when done with love.