Countries, Peoples and Geography discussion

[lazygecko]

I've always had a fascination with the really deep arctic regions of the planet. There's just something very mysterious and alien about it given the relative lack of interest and media available from explorers. Several fairly large chunks of landmass in the northern Canadian shores that are completely uninhabited. Receding grass fields eventually give way to utterly barren, primordial-esque terrain that looks like it's been there untouched since the dawn of time, yet you also know they contain a wealth of history from tectonic plate movements. Even just staring at satellite imagery of the region is interesting with its unique geology/topography relative the lower hemispheres as the scars from the last ice age are still very prominent. Places like Devon Island are used to simulate Mars expeditions.

 

 

[ReeseJamPiece]

On 11/3/2021 at 2:59 PM, holaareola said:

With you to re. poverty. The UC uplift reversal has been reckoned to possibly put 290k children under the poverty line. OK, it's one social sciences study, an area of academia that has a lack of rigor and intellectual diversity atm, but even if we assume a bad case of model-tweaking from semi-competent activitist researcher and halve it: that's 145k kids living £20 a week away from poverty in the 5th richest nation on earth. Fucksake. Energy bills are rocketing. How many are £30 away? £40? We have the NHS, some social safety net, but England is a deeply capitalist country, and worst of all not an efficient one. I respect the Scots for keeping to the humane spirit of Adam Smith.

 

On a brighter note. I'm going to Sweden end of the month. My best mate moved to Gothenberg a couple of years back and has said lots of good things about it. One genius social policy he mentioned is that everyone's salary is public info. That one simple change makes so many of the shitty or merely human reasons for pay inequality within orgs much harder to get away with. National psyche a bit reserved he reckons, we'll see.

 

Fucking hell, that's the population of my city. How does it get to that point? We're the 5th richest and yet we're stuck with a bunch of elitist oligarchal bastards for a government. Just two weeks ago, Boris was jabbering on about Peppa Pig World. Yes, fucking Peppa Pig World. In Scotland, there would be a national outcry about this, but in England, this is just seen as 'normal'. An absolute mess of a country. 

On 11/3/2021 at 10:12 AM, Jello said:

I would recommend doing so. The Hitchhiker's Guide series is probably my favorite book series. And maybe it's because I'm American, but the dry humour and characters acting completely normally to absolutely insane situations caught my attention. It's probably why I like Monty Python so much; most situations are completely absurd but they're treated as normal. My favorite book of the series is the second one, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, but the first book is a great start.

 

I realize the humour might not have as much impact on a Scot, since you're probably used to English comedy, but it really hit me in my funny bone. I grew up with American sitcoms from the 80's and early 90's. Which were painfully boring and saccharine; when I found Monty Python I just fell in love with the eccentricity of British comedy. So your mileage may vary, but if you have it, might as well read it, it's funny.

 

British "humour" just isn't funny, unless it's like one of those jokes which are so bad it's good. I prefer Scottish humour, early seasons of Still Game. But that's just my view on it. I get how others can enjoy it.

[ReeseJamPiece]

On 11/3/2021 at 3:29 PM, mrthejoshmon said:

I live in some warzone village with a gang and drug problem in the east midlands somewhere, 95% sure we didn't move here but were instead air-dropped in as a social experiment to see how long it took for us to wipe ourselves out, hell I distinctly remember the park at the end of my road being set on fire for fun, some youths blew up a church later on, a semi famous footballer got murdered on a night out in our nearby town... Just y'know, town/village things from 1066.

 

Racism in my area is rampant but that is because everyone you meet is either a yob or a relic of a dying age, our schools failed to address problem students and were too busy making us take SATs that are proven useless, my C in our respective ICT program is literally useless and I'm the only dickhead who ever turned up to the Job Centre in a suit or who was actively looking for work and not because they had to be there instead of dossing on the dole.

 

I live in a bleak, lifeless, soulless little ghetto that houses """ex""" crooks (I think they call em halfway houses or something, they go there after prison) that aren't exactly "rehabilitated", no joke my work colleagues refuse to drop me off on my street, it's an infamous one in the community.

 

But with all that said and done, at least I don't live in Worksop, if the England was an arse that would be a boil on it.

 

Just an average day in Glasgow. Jokes aside this kind of shit really is sickening. The midlands have a lot of beautiful places but it's frequently ignored by politicians. In Scotland, it's normal for grown men to have little to no education. The pandemic has only made things worse. I live on a council estate but even I have standards, ghetto life is miserable. I've seen it before and it's grim. But no, politicians are more concerned about their image than they are about the people. The UK is getting worse, and it isn't just statistics on a spreadsheet. Go to Hull or Manchester or Bradford and take a look at the almost third-world slums people live in. Appalling for a first-world nation.

 

[mrthejoshmon]

16 minutes ago, ReeseJamPiece said:

 

Just an average day in Glasgow. Jokes aside this kind of shit really is sickening. The midlands have a lot of beautiful places but it's frequently ignored by politicians. In Scotland, it's normal for grown men to have little to no education. The pandemic has only made things worse. I live on a council estate but even I have standards, ghetto life is miserable. I've seen it before and it's grim. But no, politicians are more concerned about their image than they are about the people. The UK is getting worse, and it isn't just statistics on a spreadsheet. Go to Hull or Manchester or Bradford and take a look at the almost third-world slums people live in. Appalling for a first-world nation.

 

Nail hit firmly on the head.

 

It's funny, permission to build hundreds of new houses for us all has been given but the local politicians (except Labour, thank fuck for our Labour rep) are rallying against it with vague reasons like "[village name here] tradition (fucking what????)" And "it will increase traffic" (so oh no there might be 1 car going through every 30 minutes instead of every hour in this wasteland) backed up with images of the politicians stood at the local park with some kids (???).

 

It just looks like an elaborate way to confess they're nonces tbh, John Tory (cba to find whatever the fuck his name is I don't care) says it'll create too much space in the housing market, that space we desperately need lmao fuck off we're crammed in here as it is, guess they don't see that passed their steak dinner in their luxury villa down the street.

[Panterafff]

I recently went on a business trip to Germany.
  The flight was complicated for some reason, but in principle, Germany is very beautiful as it turned out.
  I usually spend all my business trips in the boardroom, but this time I also got to see the city we flew into.
  It was just incredibly beautiful, there were so many museums and galleries.
Finally, the business trip made me happy).

[DJVCardMaster]

I've been last week in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I live about 700kms from the capital city, but I have to stay in my friend's house, outside the capital city (10 minutes away from it), in what's called the "Conurbano", the metropolitan/suburban area of the capital, with is a complex group of cities and counties(called parties) surrounding the main city itself, but these are part of the Buenos Aires province, rather than the capital city itself. What a surrealist place it was, I was staying in a quite difficult place to live, where life is chaotic, as you have the frantic rythm of the capital city, but in a place where streets are short, people may give you a bad look, and everything is a mess, yes, it is a poor place. There were many memes about the suburban area, recalling this is where most of the poverty of the capital city is (except for some areas), where most people said they live in sub-saharian conditions at times. I thought this was just a pejorative joke against its inhabitants, but sadly, this is quite true. Everything looked old, deteriorated, poor and hostile for citizens of a whealtier area like me. Insecurity levels are higher and Ubers won't take you there after certain hour, if you have to make a trip from Buenos Aires itself to any of these places.

I was staying in West Lanus, Villa Caraza if we are more precisely, about 15 blocks or so from the birth-place of Diego Armando Maradona in Villa Fiorito. Lanus is a city of the suburban area, south to the capital city itself and next to Avellaneda and Lomas de Zamora.
You won't feel as safe here even at daytime, luckly, the bus stop to the capital city itself was in front of my friend's house. Something that called my attention that much is that, people from the Conurbano or the capital city, can really notice your slight difference in accent in comparison to theirs, heck, I can't even notice the difference between my accent and Uruguayan accent, so that surprised me a lot, they notice I'm from "the farmlands". 

Buses literally drive at max speed on a really short one-way street (which is actually not one-way, but it should), and everyone is on a hurry to reach their destinations, worst public transport experience in quite some time, for sure.
Horses are tied like dogs next to light posts, eating grass of the wastelands they are on, people do BBQs (Asados) in the middle of the sidewalks, with no shirt and no time to lose, crazy!, and there is an strange mixture of poor looking houses next to whealty looking houses all over the place, like if the place was procedurally generated by a computer (Trust me, you have a seemingly infinite amount of blocks of this architechture). It is the backrooms of urban planning.

Conurbano and Buenos Aires itself are two different worlds next to each other, and I really enjoyed the experience, passing by insecurity aspects, it is an interesting place to know.


Here is a picture of the contrast that houses give here:

Edited December 21, 2021 by DJVCardMaster

[ReeseJamPiece]

On 12/4/2021 at 7:27 PM, mrthejoshmon said:

Nail hit firmly on the head.

 

It's funny, permission to build hundreds of new houses for us all has been given but the local politicians (except Labour, thank fuck for our Labour rep) are rallying against it with vague reasons like "[village name here] tradition (fucking what????)" And "it will increase traffic" (so oh no there might be 1 car going through every 30 minutes instead of every hour in this wasteland) backed up with images of the politicians stood at the local park with some kids (???).

 

It just looks like an elaborate way to confess they're nonces tbh, John Tory (cba to find whatever the fuck his name is I don't care) says it'll create too much space in the housing market, that space we desperately need lmao fuck off we're crammed in here as it is, guess they don't see that passed their steak dinner in their luxury villa down the street.

 

Fucking hell, they really have no shame. 

I don't get why they think it's okay to do this shit, it all centre's around their little circlejerk of elitists with no respect for other people. Boris got caught at the Downing Street Party AND a 'business meeting' where he's eating wine and cheese. Oh, and also he lied about the flat money. Oh, and Hancock refers to himself as a hero in his book. Oh, and also one of the Hull Labour MPs openly tried to gain fake followers on Twitter. It's beyond a joke, it's fucking obscene.

 

[ReeseJamPiece]

On 11/3/2021 at 4:16 PM, Dusty_Rhodes said:

I'm American, always wanted to go to England, or at least the U.K. (people in Scotland / Northern Ireland / Wales don't mind being called "British" but despise being called "English", right? That's why I made the distinction, correct me if I'm wrong.). 

 

I wouldn't see the US and England as rivals, I think of the British amicably. They're out allies and friends, we worked together in World Wars, Korea, rebuilding Germany, etc. We share a lot of cultural similarities too, despite our differences. You're government's obsession with licenses isn't as excessive here, but it still exists. In general, lots of regulations and taxes and forms for things. The Norf FC memes are hilarious too.

 

My biggest problem is the people in The States treating politics like a religion. In general, religious activity has been on a downturn here, but people still have an inherent need for something higher to believe in. Instead of funneling that into something productive they, whether consciously or not, make politics their religion. To the point where the colors red and blue will set them off. It's ridiculous. Arguing all day on Twitter and Reddit. It's pathetic. 

 

Also, you're comments on American soda: don't drink the liquid garbage that is Mountain Dew. Coca Cola, Royal Crown Cola (known as "R.C."), Double Cola, Barg's Root Beer, Fitz's Root Beer and Cream Soda, Moxie and Cheerwine are all worth trying. Higher quality, more acids, fruit flavors (even Coca Cola still has a fair amount of lime / lemon in it), and some other cool things. Moxie is very ginger-y and has ingredients similar to bitters (I don't know much about alcohol culture in the U.K. so bitters is an important ingredient in many cocktails. I don't drink, but I find mixology an interesting subject). Fitz's is based in St. Louis, Missouri and are very well made and taste great. I try not to drink soda too often, but if you avoid it entirely, you're missing out on good stuff. Just drink it in moderation, as even the best sodas make me feel gross if I drink it more than a few times a week. 

 

I agree with hating the globalism and consumerism. I'm all for free markets, but consumer culture is wasteful and vapid. 

 

If you ever visit, I really recommend checking out National Parks, especially ones based around American Indians or the Civil War. Some cities in the Midwest, like St. Louis have great attractions. The St. Louis Zoo and the Science Mueseum are a lot of fun. If you every go through Evansville Indiana, pm me, I know all the good restaurants / attractions. The likelihood of driving through is actually pretty high, as multiple important highways run through here. 

In general, America has tons of beautiful environments, Georgia, Virginia, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, and Florida are all just gorgeous. If you go to Florida, avoid Orlando and go to St. Augistine, you won't regret it. I also recommend Washington D.C. and Maryland. Really pretty, swampy areas. If you've ever played Fallout 3, the capitol area is so accurate I could navigate it without looking at a map lmao. I don't even like Fallout 3 half as much as Fallout 1 and New Vegas, so I'm curious how accurate those are. 

 

Anyway, thanks for this post, only countries I've been to have been Honduras and Canada. I have stuff I can say about them, but I'll wait till later. Always wanted to go to England and Germany, as my ancestors are genetically from there. Japan seems cool too, and no, I don't watch anime. I just like other cultures and environments. 

 

Oh and I love British music, Brian Eno, David Bowie, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Mike Oldfield, etc. 

 

So much so, that the only American artists I regularly listen are Bob Dylan, Tally Hall, Cojum Dip, and Miracle Musical. All of those are obscure compared to Dylan. I need to listen to more jazz though, Coltrane and Davis are really good. 

 

Do you like any American music? Or do I come off as the Japanese guy that loves cowboys and owns a ranch / only wears cowboy hats and spurs? He always made me a little flattered, but a little weirded out. Haha

 

I don't mind being called British, but I am NOT English. I'm Scottish. Scots have fought against the English for over a thousand years, it's true most Scots have English ancestry (I have some from Hertfordshire) but most have a very strong Scottish identity. Also, I am a bit tired since I haven't slept since yesterday, so excuse any grammatical errors. Might just be me being retarded too.

Norf FC memes are real, take a walk around Manchester or Newcastle city centre and you'll see what I mean. Uneducated footy shirt-wearing hooligans storming down the pub. I'm a Glasgow Rangers fan but my mum's side supports Celtic. Glasgow is very serious when it comes to football, their heart and soul belong to their team. The history, the music, the politics. It's brilliant. Speaking of politics, politics are a complete joke. Never believed in any of the shite those psychopathic bastards say. People need something to belong to and look up to otherwise it shows the reality that their country is a complete mess. 

 

I don't drink Mtn Dew very often, too many flavours and it just tastes like slime. Rootbeer and R.C. sound tasty, heard of Moxie but Fitz is new to me. I'm not loaded so usually I just drink diluted blackcurrant juice or water. Always wanted to visit Missouri, it's an underrated state. My dream is to do a road trip from Florida to California, then gradually go up and up from coast to coast until I reach Maine. I heard there is a national park in Montana next to the Blackfoot Native reservation, quite scenic. Evansville looks nice, a lot of history. I played through a bit of NV but haven't gotten around to Fallout 3 yet, Capitol Building is an architectural masterpiece. Honduran food is delicious too. 

 

David Bowie I feel is a little overrated, a great musician and an icon but his music can be a droopy for me sometimes. I like hard rock and roll, Oasis and so on. Jazz is good but I find it hard to get into. Never been one for music, good for partying and setting the mood. Can't read music either, never played any instruments. But Bob Dylan is fantastic. American music is fine I suppose, except the Pop and Rap crap. Japan does things a lot better than America in all things imo, cuisine, social etiquette and architecture especially. Osaka is like the Japanese equivalent to Glasgow, rough but charming. Whereas Tokyo is like Edinburgh in that it is the posh financial and education capital of the country.

 

I come from the northeast of Scotland, a quiet place. The farthest I've been from home is Blackpool which is a small seaside town in Lancashire, England. Only ever leave home once or twice a year to head out to Perthshire for the markets or Kirkcaldy for some fresh air. The people can be a bit mental at times but that's just Scotland in general. Ignore them and they'll go away. It's good when you're a tourist since all you see is the good bits but it's shite when you're a local and have to put up with neds. Ayr, Kirkintilloch, Kilsyth, Hamilton, Dumfries. Not many job opportunities around so people move to the big cities or abroad. I like things local and simple, big cities just seem too confusing and posh for my liking. But I would love to visit someday. Again, please excuse the grammatical errors.