British police officers do carry guns, just go to Heathrow airport.
Diplomatic protection squad carry them.During the Iranian embassy siege a police officer was taken hostage but he was not searched and in the subsequent rescue by the SAS he used it to good effect.
As a general rule the police are not armed but firearms are available from standby units at short notice.
Despite what you might read in the media gun crime is rare and often the weapon is either imitation or not loaded.The differance in jail terms is enough to put most villains off.
Carry out a robbery with an unloaded or imitation weapon gives you maybe four years if you are fortunate but if it is loaded then you’re looking at eight, discharge it at the floor just to frighten your victim means at least ten years but this could go up to fifteen, hit somebody and it’s life.
Sorry Basketball just doesn’t do it over here.
We don’t have the athletic scholarship system you have.
The sports we play (and rarely do well at) tend to be true international sports.
Baseball, basketball, and American football are very parochial and while it is true that the US is world champion in these sports there isn’t much international competition so you tend to turn in on yourselves.
That is not a criticism by the way. The US economy is so large that there is plenty of internal competition but we are so small we are forced to look overseas.
(1) Yes. And your problem is?
(2) I don’t know about outside London, but in London all manned police stations have arms stores, and there are roving police cars with lockers containing shotguns and Heckler & Koch sub-machineguns. Rather than all police being armed, the mobile patrols are used as armed backups.
(3) Nope. It;s been open for some time now, but I much prefer the ferries. The ones I’ve been on are so large (because they carry several decks’ worth of cars, trucks and coaches) that they have duty-free shops, bars, clubs, cinemas and fast-food places. It’s great being wasted at 5am on a ferry when you’re 16, especially considering you can’t do it in Britain (ah, to be 16 again).
(4) No, no and no. Sorry.
A Brit guy slapped me once [in the states]. Of course I left the room. Later a guy in the room who saw it all, told me the Brit said ‘thats how we settle things in england…’
2sense - yes, very. Latest opinion polls show that the majority believe that the royals are completely irrelevant; they don’t hate them, they just don’t see the point.
they also have great experience in Gibraltar, but this isnt the time or the place to go into that…
anyway, I doubt there will be a 5th Blackadder. Curiously enough, all the shows you mentioned were written by the same people, or have shared writers. Blackadder and the Young ones were written by Ben Elton and … damn, I can remember… was it Tony Curtis?
Stupid Automobile Question: In the US, our left-hand drive manual transmission cars have pedals arranged (left to right) clutch-brake-accelerator. In what order are the pedals arranged in an English right-hand drive car? The same or mirror image?
Not-So-Stupid Gardening Question: My dad told me that English gardeners import poison ivy from the US as ground cover. In case you’re not familiar with poison ivy, it’s a knee-high plant (or, in other forms, a vine) with a distinctive three-leaved pattern. It turns a nice red color in the fall, but has the disadvantage of exuding a substance that raises (pretty itchy and painful) blisters on the skin. Question: Do the British import poison ivy? Can I get rich exporting it?
zut - the clutch pedal is under your left foot, with your right foot over the brake (left) and accerelerator (right). Last I remember, anyway.
I’m afraid I don’t have a clue about poison ivy imports. I didn’t think it was an uncommon plant in the UK, but then again I’ve lived in flats without gardens since 1993…
Car pedals are in the same order here (UK) as in the States.
There are no plans for another Blackadder series, and it would be very tough now to get all the principals back together to do more. However, at our ill-fated Millenium Dome, they show a special half-hour Blackadder film which was specially commissioned and produced for the Dome, in which Blackadder travels through time and meets various famous people. It’s okay funny, on a par with the series average.
Yes, TV shows over here are produced in much shorter runs. A typical ‘series’ may comprise just 6 or 7 shows. Our TV industry doesn’t enjoy the economies of scale that you have over there, so the cost of producing a ‘season’ of 22-24 shows simply can’t be recouped.
Are most British males really, truly free of the belief that their self-worth depends on their job title and how much money they can fling around? Or have I just been meeting the poor and unemployed ones?
Is the macho pain-in-the-ass attitude less prevalent in Britain than in America? By this I don’t mean just excessive interest in beer and sports (yes, I know you have that) but the need to constantly get the better of other males, including one’s supposed friends. My impression is that English guys are less competitive and less overtly aggressive with one another, but they themselves claim the macho thing’s there, just more subtle.
Is it considered normal for an average, non-university educated working guy to be able to converse intelligently about Elizabeth Gaskell? Or have I stumbled upon a treasure beyond compare? (Actually you needn’t answer the second question; I already know :))
In a typical household, does the mother do most of the housework, or do the husband and kids pitch in? (This has always struck me as one of the less appealing cultural differences between the US and most European countries, and one of the reasons I haven’t emigrated already…)
How often do people steal those street signs that say HUMPED ZEBRA CROSSING?
(1) Not any more so than in any other country, I think. Of course, wander round the City of London (the financial centre) and there’s plenty of very conspicuous consumption, as if everyone’s trying to prove a point. It’s still regarded as a bit distasteful to talk about money in company.
(2) There is definitely a similar attitude, but it has fewer outlets – with no real “hunting and shooting” opportunities for most people it’s usually how many pints can you down and the odd fist-fight. As for the need to outdo your friends and acquaintances…I’m not sure. Again, the fact that talking about your own salary is regarded as a bit impolite plays a role.
(3) Very, very, very unusual! I’ve barely flicked the pages of a Gaskell, and I studied English Literature at A-Level (the optional intermediate exams between school and university).
(4) Mother. Things are changing, but probably not as rapidly as in other countries.
(5) I’ve never seen that combination of sign, I have to admit.
