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Post by Topcontender on Jul 22, 2003 11:19:32 GMT -5
Ah man don't drag me into this! Indiana is more populated than 80% of the states.
Yes we do have 2 areas that is backwards, but if you drive past it you wont have a problem. Gary Indiana has the highest murder per capita in the nation, and Martinsville indiana is just backwards rednecks surrounded by academics from IU.
Hell we are the home of Notre Dame, 2 nobel peace prize winners (both from my HS), Rose Hulman, Purdue, and IU. Not to mention a F1 race!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you called the normal hoosier a redneck they would look at you very odd. I know the place sounds like the middle of nowhere, but trust me we are far from that.
NOw if you want to talk about Kentucky, I will admit those people are just inbred.
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Post by Srrh on Jul 22, 2003 12:39:17 GMT -5
Yes we do have 2 areas that is backwards, but if you drive past it you wont have a problem. Just like Belgium. We have the french part and the flemmish part. If you drive right trough them, no problem. S. PS Another great American place I'd like to visit is Colombia That was for pabs ! ;D
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Post by pabs on Jul 22, 2003 12:46:07 GMT -5
ROFL!!!
Srrh, if you want to visit a US military base, I'm sure you can find something closer to where you live ;D
Seriously, that's all we're becoming...
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Post by Wycco on Jul 22, 2003 12:48:09 GMT -5
No Srrh,
South Carolina's capitol is spelt:
ColUmbia, and short of the city: North Charleston, it is the least attractive spot in South Carolina.
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Post by pabs on Jul 22, 2003 13:00:38 GMT -5
Wyc,
Nobody cares about Columbia or South Carolina...they don't even have good BBQ ;D
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Post by El Sid on Jul 23, 2003 1:09:02 GMT -5
Carry on, please. You're starting to convince me of a "home from home" experience. Tell us about Utah. There where Tom Cruise shows that he is a better stunt man than Sly Stallone. Seriously though, the pics & movies I've seen on the rock formations, the mesas & buttes are quite impressive. A must see in my opinion. One of our local singer/songwriters did a "Blues" research trip to the Mississippi Delta and a 13 episode documentary was televised. Very informative. The Grand Canyon. Wow! Did you know that I met my wife in the Fish River Canyon in Namibia? It is said to be the 2nd largest Canyon in the world, second only to the Grand Canyon. I still fail to see how a 85km walk/slog/hike in 32deg C "cool" conditions and having to dig for water leads to marriage But I don't want to even discuss it. However the x many, afterwards is another point. Now that we can discuss.
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Post by Wycco on Jul 23, 2003 8:02:31 GMT -5
El Sid- I've only been as far west as Memphis... I hear West of Memphis thar be dragons- so I couldn't tell you about the rock formations...
Obviously then- I have not been to the Grand Canyon... but I have been to "Le Grande Canyon" in France... damn French- try to claim everything for themselves.
Re: Utah and Frenchmen- I very nearly went to Utah the summer before my last year in college. I was a biology major at the time- and I was going to Utah to track an endangered species of frog that spawned in the cattle ponds up there.
- anyhow, in the end I couldn't get the finances together, I was working full time to get myself through university- the summer frog tracking job wouldn't pay anything... so I had to give up the opportunity.
(to this day, being a field zoologist is my dream job- realism made me take the IT route instead- even though I hate being a programmer... I like to program fun things- not boring real-world applications).
My honeymoon was almost going to be to Yellowstone- but we changed plans and ended up going to cancun instead... so, alas, I have no experience of the Western half of the nation. Ask about the South East instead... we've got trees, trees, trees, trees, and trailor parks around here!
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Post by Henrik on Jul 24, 2003 1:25:10 GMT -5
Time for my morning rant!
I have been travelling to the US on a regular basis for a number of years, both for professional reasons, and for pleasure. I have also considered very seriously to move there, preferably to San Francisco which is a city that I really love. Many of my best friends live there, and so it has always been a great pleasure to go.
Well, it seems this is realy changing. It used to be the case several years ago that I needed to obtain a visa in order to enter the US. At the time, this was not too much of a problem, the visa being obtain by filling out some forms and sending them to the US embassy in Bern. Then the visa waiver form was introduced. This essentially allowed for citizens from a number of countries, including Sweden and Switzerland, to travel to the US without a visa, simply by completing the visa waiver form. As of October visa will be required again.
Now, although this might not seem at first like a big problem, I need to explain what is required in order to obtain this visa.
The first step is to call the US embassy in Bern in order to obtain an interview with them. The number called is one that charges you a set amount of money, and the waiting time to get such an interview is a bit over two months! Once the day comes for your interview, you must go to Bern and bring with you a number of documents. Amongst other things, the following is required:
Bank statements of all my accounts A letter from my employer confirming that I am indeed taking vacation on the dates indicated A detailed travel plan of my visit to the US A list of all the countries I have visited in the last 10 years A list of my last two employers, plus the current one (obviously) A list of all organisations, professional, social or charitable, that I am a member of.
On top of this you must also fill out a number of documents as is usually the case.
The interview is then one that takes approximately one hour, and according to some witnesses, is more akin to an interrogation.
Well hey, USA fuck you!
Incidentally, have any of you US citizens ever needed a visa to travel to a European country?
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Post by greg99 on Jul 24, 2003 6:04:13 GMT -5
I'm surprised they don't ask for a copy of a judiciary extract, mental state, last tax form completed, complete health check up, why I am largely of age and I haven't born any fruit, what education I have, do I own a gun, my religious beliefs, my weight, my height, etc......
Is speaking English a requirement for the interview, knowing for a fact they ONLY speak English (or maybe Swiss German for the smartest ones) ?
Joking aside, I am sorry to see the US authorities turning into xenophobics. It is a shame that a country that claims to be trying to "save the world" is alienating it instead. I strongly suggest the US build a big wall around themselves, keep staring at their belly button and let us live. After all, the world is full of beautiful places and people, I for one don't need the US to live.
I feel sorry for the american people that they are being identified with their government. A real shame.
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Post by Srrh on Jul 24, 2003 8:02:52 GMT -5
I strongly suggest the US build a big wall around themselves, keep staring at their belly button and let us live. Reminds me of a joke... So God asks an American and a Canadian about their dearest wishes... The American "Ok, God, I want you to build a wall around my country. It should be 100 feet high and 3 feet large. It will prevent all those foreigners from coming in" "Ok" said god "done. And you, the Canadian...what do you want" And the canadian, points at the wall and says "oh, not much. Just fill it in with water please" Srrh
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Post by LazyWycco on Jul 24, 2003 8:35:17 GMT -5
LOL...
Well before 9/11 when I got my green card (crap I need to renew it)- I had to go through various examinations to proove I was really a man. (Man as in "not a woman"... not man as in "not a boy" - I didn't get a chance to proove the latter until College.).
- Anyhow, lest I digress, I also had an interesting interview in which I was asked such questions as: Am a nazi- am I Commie- have I tried to overthrow any governments. Ahhhhhh- was a fun interview.
I wish I could have left seriousness aside and told them that I was responsible for the fall of the British empire, and that I am a nazi-commie-jacobian-luddite set on becoming the 1st king of America!
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Post by Henrik on Jul 24, 2003 9:33:46 GMT -5
Well the questions concerning terrorism, nazi etc., are all part of the visa waiver form as well, and those, although laughable, I don't really have a problem.
Also, that there is a bit more questioning in relation to the green card I find normal.
What I am really talking about is to go for a short 1 to 2 week vacation. Why the hell should they know about my last two employers?
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Post by Topcontender on Jul 24, 2003 10:04:19 GMT -5
odd, we dont have to have any visa to go to Europe. Hell I didn't need one to go to Egypt. The only place i needed a Visa was Turkey, and you could bribe the customs agent, or wait in line in customs to ge one.
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Post by Henrik on Jul 24, 2003 10:12:17 GMT -5
TC, this is not odd.
It is simply shows the difference in the current administration of the US, and the rest of the world....
Maybe one day, when those idiots are thrown out of office, I'll be able to go back and visit. Hope so..
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Post by pabs on Jul 24, 2003 10:12:53 GMT -5
Henrik,
I understand what you mean and it really sucks. Colombians, I guarantee it, have it a lot worse just starting with the appointement date which is usually a little over a year after you call the embassy. Everything goes downhill from there, and yes Myriam, we are required to bring with us our last tax forms.
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