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Hmm...I could have done without the Bubba Ho-tep 

Our Wales walk is not quite going according to plan. See the weather decided to go from perfect to heavy rains right when we were meant to set out. We spent last night in a pine forest just outside Cwmbran as a test, but the rains found us.

We are now back at scotch's and are making dinner somewhere between Sweeney Todd and Fight Club tonight looks like we might be staying in as well. Hopefully we might get another chance tomorrow to have one last night of camping :/

What's the exchange rate on american sexual favors?

Depends on whether the person performing the favours is a member of the abstinence lobby.

Also they tend to have been mutilated, so probably a bit less than the non-US rate.

Furthermore, I don't know the logistics of traveling across the French country-side (or into Belgium) so if there are difficulties (lack of petrol stations, passport/customs issues, etc.) please let me know!

Not sure about petrol stations, but I would doubt there is a serious lack of them in the countryside, probably more frequently stationed than in Nowheresville, Indiana even.

Regarding passports, once in France you should have no problem with any border controls since Belgium is part of Schengen (as is France), which means there are no physical border controls between the two. Heck, you could even drive to Estonia without having to show your passport, unless stopped by the police or something.

Well redrafting these laws based on current attitudes would only be reinstated as is by way of circular reasoning i.e. "I believe we should have the right to keep arms in the constitution because it's guaranteed by the constitution" etc.

[gun]

Well to be fair, Raggit did say it would be for intimidation purposes only. If I were walking around town and decided to rob some wealthy-looking driver of a nice car with my gun, I would think twice if I knew he baseball bat in his backseat I would run like hell.

Remember that you're representing a country with an absurd amount of gun related violence, and a health care system so messed up that even insured people can't afford it, and rather go to Indonesia or wherever for their heart surgeries. Maybe you could be just a tiny bit more openminded about other models.

I agree on all these points. While I understand the fear people may have that at any moment in this violent country they may be broken into and have a gun put in their face, which of (course can and does happen) to say that that is the most likely sort of gun-related violence is completely off. The opposition to gun laws will find the worst case scenario in the newspaper and say that is telling for why average citizens should be able to have guns. All the while presuming that other average citizens like myself will just magically trust them to be armed responsibly.

It doesn't matter to me what sort of gun education or protection reasons people will have for owning guns, those who would choose not to use them or advocate for gun rights like myself (who would never even touch[ a gun, even if unloaded) should not be forced into a situation where the already sky-high number of privately owned guns is made greater as a sort of check and balance on the things that go "bump" in the night.

The constitution-humping that happens whenever gun rights are questioned is another area that annoys. When the Supreme Court was deciding the case of handgun ownership in DC, they were looking at the language to determine what was meant at the time, whether it was intended for the general population or for militias, and based their (split majority) decision on that language. The constitution is supposed to be a living document, but is hardly so. There is always talk about "finding the original intention of the Founders" which after 200+ years I think is way past irrelevant because they are long dead and have no right to govern, not a even a moment beyond their passing.

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Regarding healthcare, the most powerful word to use against a national health service here is the states is to call it "socialist", which while accurate in definition is used very specifically to get people to believe that it is some kind of communist deathtrap and you will suddenly lose any choice in doctor or hospital. It is effective because most people have a lack of knowledge of other systems, or simply accept the current system out of some type of nationalist pride.

I have been uninsured since age 16, and have really no choice but to hope for the best whenever I have a health scare, which has happened from time to time and is rather terrifying. Though I guess I should be glad that I don't have to wait in a long line at the hospital  : perhaps it would be better to die or go into bankruptcy than wait a little while :/



I seriously need to leave this country before it inevitably kills me. If only.

Wow, I was unaware of a Shag-styled adventure game in development. You can tell from some of the screenshots which of Shags paintings inspired it The video sold me as well.

Thanks for the link

That said, being the Mittens organiser this year, I'm perfectly willing to kick people up the arse to get them organised.

Cool Berian....I would just love for you to try to kick me up the arse

Just so you're aware, I got an A- (94%!) in kick boxing at the local community college. Additionally, the only reason I got a minus is because I was absent two days, so be warned!

But from the experience I drew from the Mars Rover thread no one in this community will care unless they themselves were on the bus   

Hey dude you've just got to relax a bit. People is bitches.

I'll be there the entire time, yeah.

Right guys. I'm just waiting to say "I told you so" when we end up taking handcars, what I have advocated since Mittens Benidorm 

Way to go Dave this is great news.

I'm not sure though if your nerdiness assessment is that accurate after meeting with you guys at New Years. One of you is definitely nerdier than the other, that is certain. You will have to wait until after marriage to find out though, when I hear all this stuff comes out into the open.


Nice picture by the way, but come on, why not move in a littel closer? you're engaged!

As of the 12th Darren and I are staying at Perfect Hostel, which is really a hotel since they have rooms for between 2 and 4 with individual beds, but at hostel prices. Nacho and Lorena are booked there as well, from the 13th on. I have stayed there before with Magintz in 2006, so can vouch for it's awesomeness.

The frequency of dinners out have decreased as the quality of accommodations has increased. In Greece we had provided lunches included in the overall price, but ate dinner out every single night if I remember right. Spain was mostly snacks until dinner time when we would have no choice really but to eat out, but did use the campgroud's bar/restaurant a couple times. Canada was the opposite since we had a big cabin with a kitchen and cooked mostly at home, though we did eat out occasionally in the town and on longer trips.

To make a short story long I think we will probably be making most of the meals at the chateau, with the isolated  meal out at times.

It's not really boring either, cooking as a group is fun and can be a source of interesting situations (i.e.- "Huh? I thought I had 5 beers left :/", "WHO THE FUCK ATE MY HOTDOGS!!", and of course "Why is Disco covered in ketchup?")

Hmm :/

Well the fact that he has not yet and only threatened to, while irrational still, at least shows this guy has some restraint or is simply making empty threats.

Is he a performer? some kind of vendor for the club? If either is the case I would perhaps mention that if he were to beat you up and word got out about the way he handles his professional life, he may have a rather hard time finding work in the future, which would make the $50 seem like nothing if he cannot make more money after his proposed shenanigans.

Other than that, I don't suppose the police or threat of harassment charges would help any?

Oh come on, they are just trying to save your soul is all. You can't be trusted to save it on your own.


I've had similar run-ins to these types of rules at a church camp (in Wisconsin, USA) one summer in junior high. The rules were not that strict but individual counselors would try to split up boy/girl "couples" at times. When a friend and I were enjoying an ice cream while watching baseball from a distance, we were approached by a counselor and asked if we were related.

When we said we were just friends/longtime neighbours, she told us that "We would prefer that you would not talk to each other alone", because we might perhaps fornicate in the middle of a busy church camp with lots of activities going on. We were seriously isolated by like 20-30 yards or so, and that was a problem.

There were some other asinine rules and rationalisations that week, for instance when boys had time to swim in the lake for two hours, the  girls could be anywhere on the grounds, but when it was time for girls the boys had to be organised into an activity that was on the other side of the camp. The explanation for this was that boys are attracted by sight, and girls are attracted ONLY by touch, so seeing someone in swimgear would mean nothing unless they were holding hands or something (exact example given btw).

Isn't Barack Obama, providing he's elected President, planning to divert funding from NASA to pay for his proposed education plans?

This could be the last we see of Mars for a while.

It's comments like this that, whether there is any truth to them or not, make me feel grateful that the US is not the only country doing space missions or launches. Sure it is one of only three currently doing human space flights and has a substantially larger budget than the next, but I'm kind of bothered with the unilateral perception.

While in Europe last winter I was confounded during conversations about space exploration where I heard it said that "[the United States] made it to the moon." more than once, and it was a little disturbing to hear it in national terms. Prior to that I've always heard it in the collective i.e.- mankind landed on the moon, maybe only as a side-effect of living in that country am I not used to hearing that particular milestone referred to as a national thing. It is sad really.

Just because that mission originated from and was (largely) paid for by the US, does not make it a wholly US achievement. The science, technology, etc. came from all over and was conducted by people of many different backgrounds. Why the astronauts felt it necessary to plant nothing other than a national flag up there is beyond me. 

horrible humidity

Try south-east Texas. 9 times of 10 we've got at least 100% humidity.

Not to mention Michigan...while not in danger of being the hottest state by any means the humidity can be quite harsh. Being surrounded by Great Lake on three sides might be an awesome natural resource, but it is a bitch on the pits.

and, depending on how you play your cards with AGA, four... what else do you need?

Probably several strong drinks would be a start.