# Ask about other cultures and share your country's culture



## jani

Since we have members on this forum from all around the world, i decided that it would be nice to have a thread were you can ask about other countries culture.

For example
Neoshredder asks: Jani why metal music is so big in Finand?
Jani: I don't know maybe it has something to do with our melancholic nature

My question for American Tc'ers is:

If there would be a change in the future to change to the Metric system would you?








If you answer yes tell me why, if you answer know i also would like to know why?


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## Ukko

There a re several 'cultures' in the continental US. There are probably several cultures in most geographically large/diverse countries. 

Answering your 'question for Americans', the change to metric would of necessity be by government edict. I am not opposed to it, but I would constantly be making conversions back to English in my tired old brain, making me even slower than I am already.


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## Manxfeeder

I'm with Hilltroll. I'm ambivalent. I got used to liter bottles of Coke; I guess I can adjust.


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## Crudblud

One of the great English traditions is the Culling of the Pensioners. Every year a handful of citizens are chosen by lottery to take up a scythe and enter a room full of senile incontinent people. Medals and "Morris Dancing Classics" CDs of varying quality (ranging from bad to suicide inducing) are awarded based on number of kills, completion time (if applicable, the smell has caused contestants to forfeit in the past) and, since the invention of CCTV cameras, points are also given for style, with decapitations and disembowelments earning massive points bonuses.

Everyone knows about fish and chips, but what you may not be aware of is the other classic English dish; seaweed and cigarette ends. The combination dates back to the 1860s when large numbers of French tourists in London discarded their finished cigarettes nonchalantly on the pavements and cobbles, the large number of homeless people (90% of the population at the time, a number which has since risen to the point where homeless people must be stepped on simply to cross the road) picked these "*** ends" up and, living on the banks of the Thames as many of them did back then, ate them with the grossly mutated seaweed that grows in the faeces-infused river, provided it did not eat them first. The seaweed eventually mutated further and rose from the riverbed calling itself David Cameron, it is now in control and scoops up citizens by the busload to harvesting plants, get out while you still can.


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## RonP

I'm originally from Baltimore, where there are two seasons - football and the off-season. We only have the Orioles to keep us mildly entertained until the Ravens start playing again.

Blue crabs are a staple of our diet, as evidenced by the various ways they are prepared - steamed, fried hard crab, soft crab and crab cakes.

"Hon" is a term of endearment used amongst Baltimoreans and is not a sexist slur.


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## Ramako

Crudblud said:


> One of the great English traditions is the Culling of the Pensioners. Every year a handful of citizens are chosen by lottery to take up a scythe and enter a room full of senile incontinent people. Medals and "Morris Dancing Classics" CDs of varying quality (ranging from bad to suicide inducing) are awarded based on number of kills, completion time (if applicable, the smell has caused contestants to forfeit in the past) and, since the invention of CCTV cameras, points are also given for style, with decapitations and disembowelments earning massive points bonuses.
> 
> Everyone knows about fish and chips, but what you may not be aware of is the other classic English dish; seaweed and cigarette ends. The combination dates back to the 1860s when large numbers of French tourists in London discarded their finished cigarettes nonchalantly on the pavements and cobbles, the large number of homeless people (90% of the population at the time, a number which has since risen to the point where homeless people must be stepped on simply to cross the road) picked these "*** ends" up and, living on the banks of the Thames as many of them did back then, ate them with the grossly mutated seaweed that grows in the faeces-infused river, provided it did not eat them first. The seaweed eventually mutated further and rose from the riverbed calling itself David Cameron, it is now in control and scoops up citizens by the busload to harvesting plants, get out while you still can.


What many non-English people may not understand is that this translates to "I love my country".

Beware the guy who talks about 'the green English countryside' or 'the warm summer's day' or 'the gently rolling hills' or 'the decent, honest Englishman'. He is probably an ex-pat, or an immigrant.


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## Meaghan

Hilltroll72 said:


> There a re several 'cultures' in the continental US. There are probably several cultures in most geographically large/diverse countries.


Yes indeed. The three American "cities" (one of them is really just a small town) where I've lived have _drastically_ different cultures. In Portland and Walla Walla, if you pass a stranger on the street, you smile at them, otherwise they think you are an *******. When you smile at strangers in Philadelphia, especially in certain neighborhoods, some of them smile back bemusedly, but some of them say "you're not from around here, are you?" and then well-meaningly warn you that such behavior could get you raped.


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## Ukko

Meaghan said:


> Yes indeed. The three American "cities" (one of them is really just a small town) where I've lived have _drastically_ different cultures. In Portland and Walla Walla, if you pass a stranger on the street, you smile at them, otherwise they think you are an *******. When you smile at strangers in Philadelphia, especially in certain neighborhoods, some of them smile back bemusedly, but some of them say "you're not from around here, are you?" and then well-meaningly warn you that such behavior could get you raped.


In my town (pop. ~6000) it's easy (as a general rule) to tell the small-town folks from the 'others'. I always look the people I meet in the eye and often smile - because I like people in general, I suppose. Some folks return the silent greeting, some produce a 'stony' look, some do not acknowledge my presence except by avoiding collision.

And that doesn't begin to cover - or even indicate - the cultural differences among Americans. For instance, _@Kh_ and I are products of different cultures, although he might return my smile.


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## Klavierspieler

Re: Metrics.

*Yes!* The metric system is so much simpler!


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## Ukko

Klavierspieler said:


> Re: Metrics.
> 
> *Yes!* The metric system is so much simpler!


Also cold, bloodless, inhuman. Already we have no understanding of the power of 'seven league boots'. Should we now condemn to incomprehension 'Three Mile Island'?


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## Klavierspieler

Hilltroll72 said:


> Also cold, bloodless, inhuman. Already we have no understanding of the power of 'seven league boots'. Should we now condemn to incomprehension 'Three Mile Island'?


It must become "Five Kilometer Isle."


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## Huilunsoittaja

RonP said:


> I'm originally from Baltimore, where there are two seasons - football and the off-season. We only have the Orioles to keep us mildly entertained until the Ravens start playing again.
> 
> Blue crabs are a staple of our diet, as evidenced by the various ways they are prepared - steamed, fried hard crab, soft crab and crab cakes.
> 
> "Hon" is a term of endearment used amongst Baltimoreans and is not a sexist slur.


You're a Marylander! I am too! High five! 

Yay for steamed crabs! Had them this summer.

That aside, I'd be ready if there was a metric system switch in US, I have my own deciliter cup for baking!  Bought it in Finland.

However, I think Americans wouldn't like switching gallons to liters though, because it's tricky to think about how mpg would change, and prices too. People can easily get ripped off if they don't know the values.


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## Taneyev

In Buenos Aires, nobody smiles to another on the street. But it's not a question of culture. It's just nobody have any reason to smile. Everybody is sad, angry or scared.


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## regressivetransphobe

America's a really big island that makes hamburgers. It's a pretty okay place to live, but sometimes not. I hope that sates some folks' curiosity.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

A question for Australians: Wtf is AFL?


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## RonP

Huilunsoittaja said:


> You're a Marylander! I am too! High five!
> 
> Yay for steamed crabs! Had them this summer.


I spent most of my years in Maryland, but I've lived in Virginia for the past 10 years.


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## moody

Hilltroll72 said:


> There a re several 'cultures' in the continental US. There are probably several cultures in most geographically large/diverse countries.
> 
> Answering your 'question for Americans', the change to metric would of necessity be by government edict. I am not opposed to it, but I would constantly be making conversions back to English in my tired old brain, making me even slower than I am already.


I do exactly that,I mean I know what a pound of spuds is but I don't know what a kilo of anything looks like.
Anyway I don't want Europe interfering with us----we had quite a lot of that in the past!!


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## Ukko

moody said:


> Ido exactly that,I mean I know what a pound of spuds is but I don't know what a kilo of anything looks like.
> Anyway I don't want Europe interfering with us----we had quite a lot of that in the past!!


 Some approximate conversions are pretty easy. A kilo is a big 2 pounds; a liter is a big quart; a kilometer is 5/8 of a mile. A millimeter is about .040 inch, or a big 32nd, and a meter is a yard plus about three inches. I'm somewhat of a gunner, so I know stuff like 7.62 mm is 30 caliber. Still, the visual aspects and weight in the hand estimations are a bitch.

Ah well, we are soon out of it, _@moody_. The young minds will have it easier.


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## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> A question for Australians: Wtf is AFL?


You gotta be kidding. Man you're in the world capital of AFL, Melbourne town. You may as well ask what's the Yarra or what's Flinders Street Station.

Bloody hell (apologies if you're being serious, mate).


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## Crudblud

What is AFL?
What is the Yarra?
What is Flinders Street Station?
What's the deal with airline peanuts?
Find out next week, same bat-time, same bat-channel!


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## Sid James

Crudblud said:


> What is AFL?
> What is the Yarra?
> What is Flinders Street Station?
> ...


Well ask Coag. He definitely will know the last two. They're like asking a Parisian what's the Seine or what's the Gare du Nord. As for the AFL question, maybe Coag will tell me if he's joking or serious?



> ...
> What's the deal with airline peanuts?
> ...


Yeah well what is it? Seriously.


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## violadude

To answer the question in the OP, if there was a chance to change our system of measuring to metrics I would support it instantly.


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## violadude

I live in Seattle. The culture there is pretty good. It's a lot more artsy and hipster-ish than a lot of places in America I would say...There are lot's of crazy people walking around too, but most of them are harmless. We also have a good seafood industry. Lobsters and Prawns. Good ****.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

All I know is that every morning on the tram I pass Flinders Street Station bustling with students and workers off to their necessary destinations right before I travel along the bridge over the Yarra River. In the afternoon I usually go over the Yarra first.


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## Sid James

^^Marvellous Melbourne!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Sid James said:


> Well ask Coag. He definitely will know the last two. They're like asking a Parisian what's the Seine or what's the Gare du Nord. As for the AFL question, maybe Coag will tell me if he's joking or serious?


I know AFL is some kind of team sport and it seems very popular here.


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## aleazk

violadude said:


> I live in Seattle. The culture there is pretty good. It's a lot more artsy and hipster-ish than a lot of places in America I would say...There are lot's of crazy people walking around too, but most of them are harmless. We also have a good seafood industry. Lobsters and Prawns. Good ****.


LOL. "Seattle" + Google images = ...


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Typical Melbourne:


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## Sid James

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I know AFL is some kind of team sport and it seems very popular here.


Well its enough to know if you aren't into it that much or not at all. Its actually becoming bigger and bigger outside Melbourne. Some matches are put on Sydney and other places. I hear about these in the 'grape vine,' I know people into it. So I suppose it depends who you know.

Re the lanes, great photo, they are such a great aspect of Melbourne. Love it & other Aussie cities are copying what you're doing there.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

More typical Melbourne:


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## belfastboy

belfast - what can I say! Deeply troubled society. Beautiful city, beautiful country, beautiful people.








My Alma mater:


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## violadude

aleazk said:


> LOL. "Seattle" + Google images = ...


Indeed. That is a pretty accurate depiction of Seattle in a nutshell lol.


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## Xaltotun

Ramako said:


> What many non-English people may not understand is that this translates to "I love my country".
> 
> Beware the guy who talks about 'the green English countryside' or 'the warm summer's day' or 'the gently rolling hills' or 'the decent, honest Englishman'. He is probably an ex-pat, or an immigrant.


I believe you're right! Immediately when reading Crudblud's post, I was reminded of a conversation I had when I was visiting England many years ago. There was a fad that a lot of girls wore these pendants which consisted of a small, golden, horizontal metal rod on a chain. I had been wondering what they were about (in retrospect: probably nothing, I guess they were just a fad), and asked this guy about them. His answer was the following:

"They are an important aspect of our culture; they symbolise the girl's virginity. When the virginity is lost, the rod is ritually snapped in two. So, those girls with intact metal rods on their pendants are still virgins."

And he did it with a completely straight face. I had never heard anyone saying something like that with such a straight face before, so I was completely baffled and confused. He must have enjoyed the situation!


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## peeyaj

I live in a country where politicians and religious groups are debating whether to allow women to use contraceptives or not. WTF.


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## jani

peeyaj said:


> I live in a country where politicians and religious groups are debating whether to allow women to use contraceptives or not. WTF.


Tell them that its not 14th century anymore


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## Taneyev

peeyaj said:


> I live in a country where politicians and religious groups are debating whether to allow women to use contraceptives or not. WTF.


And I live in a country where politicians and religious groups are debating whether to allow people to think by them-selfes.


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## Ukko

Odnoposoff said:


> And I live in a country where politicians and religious groups are debating whether to allow people to think by them-selfes.


And I live in a country where the rulers don't care.


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## Morgante

Italy is a bad country.


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## jani

Morgante said:


> Italy is a bad country.


Well at least you invented the greatest dish ever
PIZZAA!!!!


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## clavichorder

aleazk said:


> LOL. "Seattle" + Google images = ...


I must agree with violadude. But having spent a lot of time in the neighboring city of Portland, its like the weirdness that is Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, is concentrated. But the people are friendlier than Seattle too!


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## Taneyev

Morgante said:


> Italy is a bad country.


Please explain.


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## Guest

Ramako said:


> Beware the guy who talks about 'the green English countryside' or 'the warm summer's day' or 'the gently rolling hills' or 'the decent, honest Englishman'. He is probably an ex-pat, or an immigrant.


Well, I tried to get back into winter clothes for work today, but as it turned out a typically British warm summer's day, I flaked out in the office and had to take a stroll through gently rolling hills...

I'm a native Englishman, neither ex-pat, nor immigrant (unless you count my grandad who left Scotland in 1914 to join the army!)

Here's a pic of the local countryside...


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## violadude

jani said:


> Tell them that its not 14th century anymore


We've tried.


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## Ramako

MacLeod said:


> a *typically* British warm summer's day


Really? *REALLY?*

However on a serious note that is a pretty nice pic you have there, where is it?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

peeyaj said:


> I live in a country where politicians and religious groups are debating whether to allow women to use contraceptives or not. WTF.


I live in a country where politicians ask "Why do we need an opera house? Classical music is only for a handful of pooftahs* and Jews."

*Pooftah = (Australian slang, derogatory term) person who is gay.


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## Lunasong

jani said:


> My question for American Tc'ers is:
> 
> If there would be a change in the future to change to the Metric system would you?


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## Bored

My culture is music!


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## Guest

Ramako said:


> Really? *REALLY?*
> 
> However on a serious note that is a pretty nice pic you have there, where is it?


Well, I fibbed a little. A warm summer's day of the British variety - typically, humid and grey.

On the way down from Helvellyn (Lake District, for non-UK readers)...or was it on the way up?


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## cwarchc

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I live in a country where politicians ask "Why do we need an opera house? Classical music is only for a handful of pooftahs* and Jews."
> 
> *Pooftah = (Australian slang, derogatory term) person who is gay.


Sorry CoAG, but that reminds me of this


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

cwarchc said:


> Sorry CoAG, but that reminds me of this


That is what's called "boganism" and is a culture in itself. Mind you that parody is just a very mild version of the real thing. :lol:


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## Chrythes

My friends returned from Paris the other day and told me that there are people who are working full time but are actually homeless, sleeping in their suits in the streets. They were told that this is because you need to have an income which is at least 3 times the price of the flat you want to buy and also have someone you know in that city. I know there are some French here, I was wondering if you could shed more light on this thing, if it's even true? Because it seems that you can only buy a flat there if you are rich.


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## jani

In Finland we like to fry ourselfs and after that go swimming naked and run around naked, we even have our own annual naked run in Helsinki on Winter ( its held by a rock radio station).


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## Taneyev

It's very recommended for a heart stroke.


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## jani

Odnoposoff said:


> It's very recommended for a heart stroke.


What please explain?


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## jurianbai

can you squat toilet?


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## jurianbai

do you durian?


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## jurianbai

can you franchise these to our country?


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## StlukesguildOhio

Morgante- Italy is a bad country.

jani- Well at least you invented the greatest dish ever
PIZZAA!!!!

And you hold the greatest collection of art in the known world.


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## Cnote11

Italy is a fantastic country. Soon I will be in the process of getting my Italian citizenship.


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## aleazk

Cnote11 said:


> Italy is a fantastic country. Soon I will be in the process of getting my Italian citizenship.


Are you a descendant of Italians?


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## Cnote11

aleazk said:


> Are you a descendant of Italians?


No, but my fiancee is first generation and has citizenship.


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## aleazk

Cnote11 said:


> No, but my fiancee is first generation and has citizenship.


Oh, I see. I'm descendant of Italians and one of my cousins has the Italian citizenship, it's a very quick procedure if you have all the required papers. At the beginning of the XX century there was a massive inmigration from Italy to America (the continent, not only the US; lol, here we hate when people from the US refer to their country as 'America', since America is the whole continent, if you see the exterior politics of the US towards Latin America throughout history, you will understand this excessive sensibility). Anyway, to America and particularly to Argentina. It's really crazy, I remember when I was in highschool, the 60% of the surnames of my classmates were Italian!. For this reason, the Italian government put forward a special program for getting the Italian citizenship here in Argentina.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

^ 
On a similar note, I'm half Macedonian and I hate it when Greeks say "Macedonia isn't a country" and act like the whole country is part of Greece. There is a small province up north in Greece formerly owned by Macedonia by they all seem to be like Macedonia has been in Greece since the dawn of time. I feel like saying "You can go ****** *** ***** in a ***** **********!!!!!!" :scold:


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## aleazk

^Interesting. I suppose you are not a kangaroo after all. . And now that you say that, yes, you really have in your appearance some 'non-anglosaxon' features.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> ^Interesting. I suppose you are not a kangaroo after all. . And now that you say that, yes, you really have in your appearance some 'non-anglosaxon' features.


My nose certainly is NOT Greek in any way.


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## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> My nose certainly is NOT Greek in any way.


LOL, Socrates would not agree... :devil::










Hey, I don't want that typical Italian nose either!, like Vivaldi :










Although, I must say, I have it, but in a small proportion fortunately.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> LOL, Socrates would not agree... :devil::


My nose doesn't exactly look like that.


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## aleazk

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> My nose doesn't exactly look like that.


What about Pericles:


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

aleazk said:


> What about Pericles:


Not quite, my mum's nose is more along the lines of









And I don't think my nose comes from that side of the family anyway.


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## Cnote11

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^
> On a similar note, I'm half Macedonian and I hate it when Greeks say "Macedonia isn't a country" and act like the whole country is part of Greece. There is a small province up north in Greece formerly owned by Macedonia by they all seem to be like Macedonia has been in Greece since the dawn of time. I feel like saying "You can go ****** *** ***** in a ***** **********!!!!!!" :scold:


Haaaaa. My French teacher is from Athens and she says all the Greeks she knows are like this. Just trying to make themselves feel better from when they were under Macedonian rule.


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## Cnote11

aleazk said:


> Oh, I see. I'm descendant of Italians and one of my cousins has the Italian citizenship, it's a very quick procedure if you have all the required papers. At the beginning of the XX century there was a massive inmigration from Italy to America (the continent, not only the US; lol, here we hate when people from the US refer to their country as 'America', since America is the whole continent, if you see the exterior politics of the US towards Latin America throughout history, you will understand this excessive sensibility). Anyway, to America and particularly to Argentina. It's really crazy, I remember when I was in highschool, the 60% of the surnames of my classmates were Italian!. For this reason, the Italian government put forward a special program for getting the Italian citizenship here in Argentina.


I agree and I refer to the entire continents as America. There is a reason we are United States OF America after all! Why do people loathe Argentina so? I see it nonstop on this board from those living there!


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## Taneyev

Because all goverment members, all syndicates bosses, 90% of senators, representantives and judges, and public officials are corrupt, stupid, ignorant and/or psichotic. States governors are feudal lords who steel all they can and persecute opponents. And the lady President is a psichotic megalomaniac, paranoical woman who things she is almost a godess who should be obeyed at once.


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## Cnote11

Just sounds like the average country to me


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## jani

Cnote11 said:


> Just sounds like the average country to me


The president here don't have much power. If i know my politics its the prime minister who has the most power here.


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## aleazk

Cnote11 said:


> Why do people loathe Argentina so? I see it nonstop on this board from those living there!


Well, it's a national sport among the middle class. I suppose frustration is an important factor. At the beginning of the XX century, Argentina was considered among the ten more developed countries in the world. Now we are living in the _pathetic_ ruins of that past.


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## Ramako

aleazk said:


> Well, it's a national sport among the middle class. I suppose frustration is an important factor. At the beginning of the XX century, Argentina was considered among the ten more developed countries in the world. Now we are living in the _pathetic_ ruins of that past.


At the beginning of the twentieth century, England had the biggest empire in the world... But I suppose that we are still quite well-off now.

There seems to be a common factor in widespread anti-nationalism.


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## aleazk

Ramako said:


> At the beginning of the twentieth century, England had the biggest empire in the world... But I suppose that we are still quite well-off now.
> 
> There seems to be a common factor in anti-nationalism.


It's different. Empires always fall in one way or another. I said "more _developed_ countries...", you don't need to be an empire to be developed. The Nobel prize Mario Vargas Llosa said "it's a shock for me how a country like Argentina has fallen in such a disgrace". I wouldn't say "anti-nationalism", it's more like when a depressed person doesn't believe in himself.


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## jani

+15 °C, Spanish wear caps, gloves and winter coats, Finns are sunbathing.


+10 °C, French desperately try to get their central heating on. Finns plant flowers.
+5 °C, Italian cars won’t start. Finns drive with convertibles.


0 °C, Pure water freezes. Water in river Vantaa thickens a bit.


−5 °C, First people are found frozen in California. Finnish midsummer festival ends.

−10 °C, Scottish turn the heat on in their houses. Finns start to use long-sleeve shirts.

−20 °C, Swedes stay indoors. Finns are having last barbeque before winter.


−30 °C, Half of the Greek people have frozen to death. Finns start to dry their laundry indoors.

−50 °C, Polar bears evacuate North Pole. Finnish army starts it’s winter training.

−70 °C, Siberian people are moving to Moscow. Finns are furious since the Koskenkorva booze can’t be stored outdoors anymore.


−273 °C, Absolute zero. Finns admit that it is quite cold outside.


−300 °C, Hell freezes over. Finland wins the football World Cup


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## Huilunsoittaja

jani said:


> −5 °C, First people are found frozen in California. Finnish midsummer festival ends.


:lol: at whole post, but where in Finland do you live Jani? Are there actual areas of Finland where it could be -5 C in the summer? I mean, I've been to southern Finland in the summer several times, and it normally ranged between upper 40s to mid 60s (Fahrenheit, can't convert that off the top of my head to Celsius).


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## jani

Huilunsoittaja said:


> :lol: at whole post, but where in Finland do you live Jani? Are there actual areas of Finland where it could be -5 C in the summer? I mean, I've been to southern Finland in the summer several times, and it normally ranged between upper 40s to mid 60s (Fahrenheit, can't convert that off the top of my head to Celsius).


No, i found this and copied and pasted it because it was funny and had some truth in it.
I have hard people from south america/australia saying that +10C /50F is cold.
Specially the last one Finland sucks at football/soccer we never win anything on it.
But hell has already froze once Finland won the eurovision music contest. 
I live in Vantaa its very near of Helsinki. It has the population of 200k.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

jani said:


> No, i found this and copied and pasted it because it was funny and had some truth in it.
> I have hard people from south america/australia saying that +10C /50F is cold.
> Specially the last one Finland sucks at football/soccer we never win anything on it.
> But hell has already froze once Finland won the eurovision music contest.
> I live in Vantaa its very near of Helsinki. It has the population of 200k.


10°C _is_ cold!!! 40°C is quite warm.


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## Crudblud

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> 10°C _is_ cold!!! 40°C is quite warm.


10°C is nothing (it's 10.8 here today and I've been out in a t-shirt with no problem), I don't even know what 40°C would be like, but based on my experience of 32°C I think I'll try my best not to find out.


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## jani

Crudblud said:


> 10°C is nothing (it's 10.8 here today and I've been out in a t-shirt with no problem), I don't even know what 40°C would be like, but based on my experience of 32°C I think I'll try my best not to find out.


I don't like cold weather at all, i would prefer to live somewhere were the weather is warm around the year.


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## Crudblud

jani said:


> I don't like cold weather at all, i would prefer to live somewhere were the weather is warm around the year.


I'm quite sensitive to the cold, but I would miss wrapping up warm and walking in the snow if it was warm all the time.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Crudblud said:


> I'm quite sensitive to the cold, but I would miss wrapping up warm and walking in the snow if it was warm all the time.


What is your perception of "cold?"


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## Taneyev

I hate heat. Can't stand it. Combination of heat with high humidity and low pressure make me feel really bad. Ideal temperature for me should be no more than 18ºC.


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## Crudblud

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> What is your perception of "cold?"


Clearly very different to yours. I couldn't put an exact value on it.


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## ErinD

I'd like to hear something about Indian culture. 

Ask me about what things are like in Oklahoma.


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## Crudblud

ErinD said:


> I'd like to hear something about Indian culture.
> 
> Ask me about what things are like in Oklahoma.


What are things like in Oklahoma?

Also do you all eat really greasy spicy food down there or is that somewhere else, or even a myth?


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## ErinD

Yes, it's sorta true. I mean, non-greasy non-spicy food is available here, and it is eaten. I never thought of our food as being greasy & spicy until I took a trip to portland OR and was aghast at how bland and non-succulent the food was there. I guess all "real" okie food is greasy and spicy then.

Once you get out of one of the big cities (of which there are just two) all the ******* stereotypes are true. People are generally really nice and accepting in the big cities but still kind of have small worldviews.

I live in Norman (southern part of OKC) and it's a pretty awesome place. There's a 4 year college hear that brings in lots of brainy people and bars in the city that have 100 beers on tap. If you're ever hungry in Oklahoma just go into any BBQ place, order the brisket, and it will be amazing even if the place looks like an absolute dump. I have seriously not once ever had bad BBQ here. 

People don't seem to understand left line = fast, right lane=slow on highways.


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## drpraetorus

Ok, Russians or those familiar with Russian culture. I was reading "Testimony" the Shostakovich tell all. I noted that people were always referring to each other not just with their first name but with the second name as well. I assume this is the patronimic as it was always a -vich of the fathers first name. Example; Dimitri Vasilovich. This was a bit puzzling to me since in western european/north american culture, the first name is sufficient. The only time we hear our middle names is when our mothers are very angry with us. 

So, what is the reason for the use of the second name among friends?


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## Agatha

drpraetorus said:


> Ok, Russians or those familiar with Russian culture. I was reading "Testimony" the Shostakovich tell all. I noted that people were always referring to each other not just with their first name but with the second name as well. I assume this is the patronimic as it was always a -vich of the fathers first name. Example; Dimitri Vasilovich. This was a bit puzzling to me since in western european/north american culture, the first name is sufficient. The only time we hear our middle names is when our mothers are very angry with us.
> 
> So, what is the reason for the use of the second name among friends?


In Russia kids/youngsters are taught to respect those who are older then them or are higher in social rank (sounds like archaic is it?). young people never sit in skytrain or in a bus. Usually kids in school call their teacher by first name and add her/his farther's name and the ending -ich to show respect and obedience. I belive this is coming from east ancestry, similar to japanese and chinese caltures, they bow. Friends or peers though don't call each other by first name and name of farther.


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## drpraetorus

Thank you.


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