Election Eve Observations from England..

[ddeclue]

I'm currently in England for work and will not be home on Tuesday for the elections.

Here are some observations:

1) The English are very excited about our elections and the BBC TV is calling it the election that decides the fate of the world but one we don't get to vote in.

2) They will be televising the results on TV (although it won't really even start until midnight)

3) They don't quite understand the electoral college - I spent some time explaining it to my driver today as we went from the airport to the town of Cambridge where I am.

4) They have nice public transit here!

5) Cars are much smaller and get better mileage.

6) They all drive on the wrong side of the road here.

7) Towns are much more compact. They don't seem to suffer from American style suburban sprawl and big-box stores here.

8) The people all seem to know each other - it's not so anonymous like American towns are.

9) They have nice scenery.

10) It is cold, wet, and rainy today.

Doug D.

Doug D.

[kimmerspixelated]

1. That's right! Fate of the world!

Gobama!

Thanks for posting.

[Mme. Defarge]

2. Enjoy!

(Caution -- it made me cry)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n16T35yx3nY

[14thColony]

3. Howdy!

You're over in my neck of the woods. I live in St Neots, in SW Cambridgeshire.

You've hit the main highlights of the UK, except that they do have big box stores (Asda, B&Q, IKEA), just not in Cambridge. And in my humble opinion having lived here over six years, my personal observations lead me to conclude that Brits on the whole are more violent than Americans - so be careful, particularly around non-uni pubs late at night.

[ddeclue]

5. More violent than AMERICANS?

Really? That seems hard to believe.

I've been in Orlando the last few years and their murder rate is going through the roof.

I used to live in Atlanta when it was considered the murder capitol of America back in the 80's. Three of my friends back then were murdered on three different occasions (although one died in New Orleans not Atlanta).

What is a "non-uni" pub?

So far everyone has been very nice to me.

Doug D.

[14thColony]

7. A non-university pub

One that's not near the colleges. Stick to the ones near the colleges, which will have mostly a student clientele.

If you like history at all, visit The Eagle, go to the back room, and look for the names burned into the ceiling by lighters. This was a popular pub for US 8th Air Force and RAF bomber crews at the many many airbases in this area during WWII. It became tradition to burn aircraft names, tail numbers, crew names, etc. into the ceiling at The Eagle. A while ago a retired RAF warrant officer researched all the names still legible, and documented his findings on plaques in the pub. Many of the men and planes he found listed there were later lost over Europe, often soon after they left their marks.

I do firmly believe Brits (especially youths) will resort to violence much quicker than Americans - and I grew up in Jacksonville, FL, and have lived in DC, Austin TX, and a few other urban centers in the US. The murder rate is lower here, but in my opinion it's only because lethal weapons are not as widely available (although parts of London and Nottingham are doing their best to catch up on that too...). Come on over to the market square in Huntingdon or St Neots or Kettering late on a Friday or Saturday night and have a look. It can be like an episode of Cops, minus the actual police.

[ddeclue]

10. I would LOVE to check this out...

I'm a pilot myself (albeit private not military) and my grandfather served in the 8th A/F in WWII.

Where is this pub?

[14thColony]

11. Here you go...

The Eagle Inn (I guess it's an inn now...)
8 Benet St, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 3QN
Tel: [phone]

Go to www.yell.com and search on "The Eagle Inn" under 'Company Name' in Cambridge. It will come up as entry #1 and will give you a zoomable map.

Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eagle_Pub

Hope you enjoy it.

[crikkett]

6. What is 'late at night' in England?

I was in London for New Years' one year and IIRC all the pubs closed by 10.

[14thColony]

8. England passed a 24hr drinking law 3 yrs ago

Pubs no longer have to close at 11pm. Can go 24hrs now. The rate of alchohol-related violent crime has increased 25 percent since then.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Cool! :^D

[14thColony]

9. Sorry dude

Was just trying to say 'hi' and give you a little 'watch out for yourself.' I didn't mean to hijack the thread and get it off-topic.

[ddeclue]

12. That's fine... I don't feel hijacked...

[TBF]

13. I visited in July and it was cold, wet, and rainy!

But I loved London. So easy to get around. We can learn a thing or two from them.