Read a book last year about the French wine industry during WW II. Said the Germans appropriated so much wine to send back to Germany, causing such a shortage in France, that “for the first time ever” the French set a legal drinking age - 14.
And as an off topic anecdote they both speak finno-hungarian languages.
Oh and we call Australia, Straliamate!
Here in Canada, the legal age is 18 or 19, depending on the province, as has been said. As far as I know, no province has set limits on what parents do in their own home for their kids–so if a parent chooses to allow a (say) 16-year-old a glass of wine with Sunday dinner, that’s fine. I think many Canadian families tend to allow their children to “experiment” with the occasional glass of wine or beer at around that age–mine certainly did.
IME, it works out pretty well. A Canadian university or college student of legal age learns very quickly that you can’t go boozing every night, unless you want to flunk out. Colleges and universities have pubs and bars on campus (often run by the Student Union or similar body), but they are like any other licensed establishment: IDs are checked, and the bar can have its license pulled by the province if it serves underage people, or overserves.
At any rate, by the age of 21, it seems to me that most Canadians have got the “Whoo-hoo! We can buy booze!” out of their system, and they move forward appropriately. By age 21, alcohol is something they’ve been legally exposed to for two to three years, and it’s nothing special any more.
Despite having been there several times I’ve never understood the American system of Greek-letter university college designations, like Phi Beta Kappa and so on. I don’t even know if that’s the actual name of the college or some sort of rank - people seem to know what they imply about someone’s academic status just from the 3 letters, regardless of which university it’s attached to. US TV shows and films just use them as if everyone knows exactly what they mean.
Anyone care to fill me in on that system?
They’re not colleges, they’re fraternities/sororities, clubs open to undergraduate students. Some of them are linked to specific professions, so belonging to one of those will tell you what was that person’s major.
Agreed. We have them at Canadian universities too. They’re just fraternities or sororities–simply clubs that choose their members, and often provide them a place to live while they’re at school.
Can anyone list a couple of these fraternities and sororities, and maybe explain the seemingly random letters? I never understood that either, thanks for asking, Askance.
Phi Beta Kappa, for starters: Phi Beta Kappa - Wikipedia
Do people really want anyone to be able to look up their address in a registry
American expat living in Angola
**Drinking age: ** No official drinking age but there are plenty of curbside stands - a box and an umbrella - selling beer and soda, and I doubt the 14 year old kid running it checks ID’s. Hard liquor is far too expensive for most Angolans and is bought at the bigger stores or the duty free shops.
ID: There is a national ID for all citizens under the age of 14 and is used for voting and accessing government services. They also issue a drivers license to people over 18, including expats, although most of us have drivers so it is more of a novelty than a necessity. I have a copy of my passport when I am running around the city.
Teeth: Many Angolans have quite good teeth. I attribute this to a better diet and availability to dentists through the national health care.
**
Puritan attitudes: ** Pretty much everyone wears modest clothing here although there are a few from Europe who will sunbath sans top, but few notice, unless it it the large expat male with the Speedo on. As you can imagine,this is not a pretty sight. Picture an egg with a rubber band around it. If you have seen any African artwork you will realize that they celebrate the female attributes.
**Hotels: ** There are several western style hotels here. They are quite expensive with few of the amenities like you would find US style hotels ( no WiFi, minimal TV channels, no free meals ) but the water is safe and the A/C and power is reliable.
I find this strange, because I live a highly mobile lifestyle and may need things sent to strange places. My wife is fairly static, but my job has me frequently travelling to other states, or countries, or even war zones. Therefore, it is very important that the bank / university / doctor or whoever sends my mail where I* need* it to go, rather than where the government tells them it should go.
So here’s my follow up question:
How sedentary are people in your country? Is it normal to travel around the country, or to different parts of the country? It sounds like you are expected to stay in one place, as opposed to other populations that move or travel frequently.
Depends on the exact model.
The A-Class is a lower mid-market car (comparable to a VW Rabbit.) The C-Class is mid-market and the E-class is upper mid-market. Together they make up about 75% of the taxi cabs in Germany. The M-Class is an expensive SUV and the S-Class is a very high class luxury sedan used to chauffeur CEOs around. Comparable models in Germany are the BMW 7 Series and the VW Phaeton.
As others have said, they are fraternities and sororities. Not every American joins them, and to be quite frank, many of them are completely unwelcoming if you are the wrong color/ethnicity or even if you don’t play the right sport or are involved in the wrong things. That’s not to say you can’t get in, nominally on paper everyone is allowed, but there’s a reason why there’s so many black fraternities and Asian organizations.
And that being said, there are some wonderful fraternities out there who really take their charter seriously and aren’t all about partying and really help the community and their own members. Just not all of them.
Finland is the name in Swedish which is an official native language in the country, much to the chagrin of ignorant Finnish speakers.
No.
At least in Sweden there are two registries, one for official use only and one for selling addresses to people who send out advertisements and such and you can block your address in that one.
[QUOTE=solosam]
How sedentary are people in your country? Is it normal to travel around the country, or to different parts of the country? It sounds like you are expected to stay in one place, as opposed to other populations that move or travel frequently.
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You get your mail forwarded in the short term, or you keep an official address at your moms house (typical for students, since changing your official address is a bit of a PITA, and you don’t want to do it every year, though strictly speaking this legally frowned upon) or other friendly family member/friend who will sort and forward the important stuff, or you pay a service to deal with your crap while you’re away. I’m sure there is a system for people who are in this situation permanently, such as military personnel, war corespondents or what have you (maybe through their workplace?) but I have no idea what that may be.
[QUOTE=PSXer]
Do people really want anyone to be able to look up their address in a registry
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Sure. If someone has a need to find me, I want them to be able to. Why not? I don’t have any debt, and no one wants to kill me, so…?
Ah. I grew up with people wanting to kill me, so although they certainly knew where I lived, anything that makes that a bit harder is welcome. People with legitimate reasons to contact me still should be able to do it without needing to hire a P.I., though.
Are there really lots of dead people just floating around in rivers or in the streets in India?
I’m a 40-year-old American male and I’ve never understood people who say jeans are comfortable. I think, as you say, they just get accustomed to them. I prefer light cotton khakis. Probably not going to start wearing a sari, though!
[QUOTE=Nava]
Ah. I grew up with people wanting to kill me, so although they certainly knew where I lived, anything that makes that a bit harder is welcome.
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Is this a woosh? If not, I demand Story Time immediately!
Jeans aren’t comfortable the way that, say, pyjamas are soft and comfortable.
Jeans are comfortable because they are totally informal, and they are forgiving of “damage”. You can let them fade, or even have a minor stain , and they are still acceptable. I went to work today in old jeans, faded into a non-uniform color, and two small white spots (bleach?) on one leg. Any other type of trousers would have to be thrown away in this condition, but with jeans you can get away with wearing them, despite the flaws.