Best English speaking country to live in

[e1618978]

What is the best English speaking country to live in? Every one that I can think of has problems.

USA
---

- I am getting pretty uncomfortable with the religious right, if they get any more powerful I might have to leave.


Canada
------

- pending Cascadia Megathrust will wipe out Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle (every building will be knocked down, too dangerous to live there)

- The rest of Canada (besides the coast of BC) turns my balls blue with cold every winter


Australia
---------

- Business owners can go to jail if one of their employees does something stupid and hurts themselves.

- I hate the stamp duty tax

- Climate change and the ozone hole seems to be wrecking the country (for example, causing greatly increased hail at my father-in-law's farm)

- Greenies have too much power


UK
--

- taxes you to death (Beatles taxman song...)

- cloudy, foggy, cold

- lousy food

- traffic is horrible


New Zealand
-----------

- ???

[Anders]

Of course I have to say Denmark because I am a nationalist pig (and because we usually come out ahead in international "what is the greatest place to live" competitions). And remember: Its not the taxes that are bad. Its how effective it is used that matters (and your country STINKS in that area :p)

But the real reason I just had to post in this thread is this:

Originally posted by e1618978
- Climate change and the ozone hole seems to be wrecking the country (for example, causing greatly increased hail at my father-in-law's farm)

- Greenies have too much power


:lol:

[e1618978]

Originally posted by Anders
Of course I have to say Denmark because I am a nationalist pig (and because we usually come out ahead in international "what is the greatest place to live" competitions). And remember: Its not the taxes that are bad. Its how effective it is used that matters (and your country STINKS in that area :p)

But the real reason I just had to post in this thread is this:



:lol:

Because the australian greenies are not in control of the things that are wrecking their climate, they concentrate on little things that irratate people.

Like telling you that you can't chop down the tree in your yard that you planted.

Denmark is an English speaking country?

[Anders]

Well. Danish might be our first language but english is surely our 1.1nd one ;)

You´ll have a hard time trying to find someone who doesn´t understand english, even among those above 60. I don´t have an ear for languages and my english has deteriorated after I stopped using it in conversation and began to better my german. So most below 30 are much better than me.

Edited for grammer ;)

[midwinter]

Originally posted by e1618978
- lousy food

Bangers and mash! Bubbles and squeak! Blood wine!

[spyder]

Originally posted by e1618978
Because the australian greenies are not in control of the things that are wrecking their climate, they concentrate on little things that irratate people.

Like telling you that you can't chop down the tree in your yard that you planted.

Denmark is an English speaking country?

Well you shouldn't have planted it if you didn't want it. No reason to kill the tree because of your poor planning.

[hardeeharhar]

Have you considered the american territories out there?

[e1618978]

Originally posted by hardeeharhar
Have you considered the american territories out there?

Guam? Puerto Rico? The USA does not have that many territories.

Unless you meant Iraq...

[spyder]

Is St. Thomas a territory? That island is amazing.

[Aquatic]

I also find it ironic that you are complaining about the environment, and then complaining that Greenies have too much power. Huh?

[Gene Clean]

That's his way of being smart.

[acr4]

If you are that concerned about the religious right, move out of the Bible-belt. (Although Chapel-Hill is a liberal hippie-haven. I should have gone there.) Move out west (not Utah) or to a big city on the East Coast like NYC or Miami.

[gf10]

Boulder.:D

[midwinter]

Originally posted by acr4
Move out west (not Utah)

Hey! What's wrong with the Utah Bubble™?

[segovius]

Gibraltar = tax free, loads of sun, anti-Blair.

[hardeeharhar]

Originally posted by e1618978
Guam? Puerto Rico? The USA does not have that many territories.

Unless you meant Iraq...

Virigin Islands.

American Samoa.

Guam.

[acr4]

Originally posted by midwinter
Hey! What's wrong with the Utah Bubble™?

Nothing, just making a bad, religiously-biased joke... Didn't mean anything really. :) I love Utah and all the surrounding states. It is absolutely beautiful out there.

[giant]

new zealand looks great, but the US pacific nw seems to have everything

[Splinemodel]

It sounds like you just need to move out of North Carolina. The nice thing about the US is that it's very large, and there's a lot of variance between the states.

You may want to think about moving to the DC area. It's not quite as asshole-dense as Boston or New York, and there aren't the neo-hippies like the ones in the rest of New England. However, if you're a libertarian you should move to New Hampshire. . . ;) Some of the folks in the party with too much time on their hands are trying to set up a Libertarian district in New Hampshire as the foundation of what they call the "Free State Movement."

Of course, if they pull it off, I'd certainly consider moving to Manchester, but otherwise New England is just too damn cold.

[e1618978]

Originally posted by Splinemodel
It sounds like you just need to move out of North Carolina. The nice thing about the US is that it's very large, and there's a lot of variance between the states.

You may want to think about moving to the DC area. It's not quite as asshole-dense as Boston or New York, and there aren't the neo-hippies like the ones in the rest of New England. However, if you're a libertarian you should move to New Hampshire. . . ;) Some of the folks in the party with too much time on their hands are trying to set up a Libertarian district in New Hampshire as the foundation of what they call the "Free State Movement."

Of course, if they pull it off, I'd certainly consider moving to Manchester, but otherwise New England is just too damn cold.

Sweet! New Hampshire is looking up. This school is 45 minutes SW of Manchester:

http://www.highmowing.org/

[ColanderOfDeath]

I've thought about what it would take for me to leave this country. Dunno, the religious right and the globally ambitious neocons are some pretty freaky guys but I think we'd have to slide pretty far down the slipper slope before I would seriously consider going somewhere else. Canada is OK but Quebec is too whiny and as said above, outside of coastal British Columbia the weather is too frosty. Plus I think hockey sucks ass. Or at least the NHL, Olympic hockey is pretty cool.

If so though then definitely Australia or New Zealand. People seem pretty damn cool and the land is beautiful.

[Hassan i Sabbah]

What about South Africa?

English is the language of Parliament, one of twelve official languages. The weather's great, landscape awe-inspiring.

With the gun crime rate you should feel perfectly at home.

:)

[e1618978]

Originally posted by Hassan i Sabbah
What about South Africa?

English is the language of Parliament, one of twelve official languages. The weather's great, landscape awe-inspiring.

With the gun crime rate you should feel perfectly at home.

:)

I have daughters - and SA is the rape capital of the world. According to the SA girls that my neice met at Columbia - it is close to 100% for white girls unless you get out quick or stay in the armed compound all the time.

So it is a little worse than NC 8)

My wife gets frostbite at 70 degrees F, she just vetoed New Hampshire 8(

One of my friends has been to Gibralter - he says that there is a lot of social tension between rich and poor there. He recomended Coasta Rica instead.

[Hassan i Sabbah]

Originally posted by e1618978
I have daughters - and SA is the rape capital of the world. According to the SA girls that my neice met at Columbia - it is close to 100% for white girls unless you get out quick or stay in the armed compound all the time.

This isn't true, or anything like it. :) I'm really only pointing this out because I've spent a lot of time in South Africa in the course of my research and I know the place well. :)

Rape is a terrible problem, but not (God bless Apartheid) a problem for white women. And there are no armed compounds in South Africa, either.

Security's a problem for all but it's not a place where white people live under siege from frightening darkies with guns. This just isn't right. People go shopping in South African cities, go to a restaurant, go to a bar, get a cab home, just like people anywhere.

Not everyone can afford to do this, OK, but they're sorting the place out day by day. I've travelled all over southern Africa. It's a great place.

[midwinter]

Originally posted by Hassan i Sabbah
This isn't true, or anything like it. :) I'm really only pointing this out because I've spent a lot of time in South Africa in the course of my research and I know the place well. :)

Rape is a terrible problem, but not (God bless Apartheid) a problem for white women. And there are no armed compounds in South Africa, either.

Security's a problem for all but it's not a place where white people live under siege from frightening darkies with guns. This just isn't right. People go shopping in South African cities, go to a restaurant, go to a bar, get a cab home, just like people anywhere.

Not everyone can afford to do this, OK, but they're sorting the place out day by day. I've travelled all over southern Africa. It's a great place.

Yeah, but if you read JM Coetzee, the boonies are full of gang-raping hillbillies!

[e1618978]

I've travelled all over southern Africa. It's a great place.

That is good to know - my nephew is going to sub-saharan africa as part of the peace corps, and I was kind of worried about it.

[midwinter]

e#s,

I was going to recommend somewhere like Wyoming or Montana which both have a kind of secular Western libertarian spirit, but since your wife gets frostbite at 70º, that's a no go. As is Utah for 8 months out of the year.

Hell, even today. It's 40º right now.

[giant]

Originally posted by midwinter
Hell, even today. It's 40º right now.
Geez. And we thought we had it bad with it being in the 60's until last week.

[midwinter]

It was 80º two days ago.

[giant]

That's just crazy.

As for south africa, it scares me. I know some people like to draw parallels between the crime there and the crime in the US, but the stuff I hear about south africa doesn't sounds pretty scary.

[e1618978]

Originally posted by giant
That's just crazy.

As for south africa, it scares me. I know some people like to draw parallels between the crime there and the crime in the US, but the stuff I hear about south africa doesn't sounds pretty scary.

You can't really go by what you hear, I guess. I went to Israel 5 years ago, and it was a lot safer than Philadelphia or Boston (I was mugged in Boston).

At least 5 years ago, Israel's reputation did not match reality on the ground.

[midwinter]

Originally posted by giant
That's just crazy.

Update: it's snowing.

[ColanderOfDeath]

Where in Utah do you live?

[midwinter]

Originally posted by ColanderOfDeath
What part of Utah you livin in?

Just a little north of Salt Lake City. I'm told this isn't common, but that it isn't exactly rare, either.

[e1618978]

Has anyone here lived in both Australia and New Zealand? I know NSW and Queensland fairly well, so I would be interested in hearing what the differences are between the two countries.

[midwinter]

You seem to have traveled a good bit. Military?

[e1618978]

Originally posted by midwinter
You seem to have traveled a good bit. Military?

I married an Australian woman, and we go there to visit her parents every couple years. Israel was a business trip - I work for Nortel as a software designer.

[ColanderOfDeath]

Ah somewhere around Bountiful or thereabouts or to Ogden? Never lived in SLC but snow isn't that surprising in June if you are at mid elevations, 7000+ even in desert areas.

Utah is a place I wouldn't mind living in some ways. Fairly safe area and decent housing prices. The mix of the Southern Utah red rocks and the High Uintas, Lone/Twin/Olympus Peaks areas etc are all nice.

The LDS aren't so bad in some ways either although if I had to interact with them professionally or raise a family in that environment then they might turn into a pretty big turnoff.

[midwinter]

Originally posted by ColanderOfDeath
Ah somewhere around Bountiful or thereabouts or to Ogden? Never lived in SLC but snow isn't that surprising in June if you are at mid elevations, 7000+ even in desert areas.

Ogden, yes. But we're not quite that high up. Only about 3900 feet at my house. And man, it's really snowing hard and I have to drive to SLC in a couple of hours. :(

Utah is a place I wouldn't mind living in some ways. Fairly safe area and decent housing prices. The mix of the Southern Utah red rocks and the High Uintas, Lone/Twin/Olympus Peaks areas etc are all nice.

Well, I moved here 2 years ago after 8 years in Oklahoma and growing up in Mississippi, and this is the most beautiful place on earth. I still spend lots of time with my jaw on the floor. The mountains are amazing. The climate is perfect (only really hot in August), with a long spring and long-ish winter. And housing prices around here are GREAT because about 10 years ago, the banks were loaning 125%, and so all these 22 year old LDS kids were getting jobs at Iomega, getting married, squeezing out 9 kids, losing their jobs, and finding themselves in tremendous debt. So they're selling. We got our house for $45K LESS than what the sellers originally asked.

The LDS aren't so bad in some ways either although if I had to interact with them professionally or raise a family in that environment then they might turn into a pretty big turnoff.

We have many LDS friends (mostly through work at the University), and the only problems we have out of them is that they're so wholesome and nice you want to puke. My next door neighbors are the friggin' Brady Bunch, complete with tow-headed kids having potato sack races in the backyard.

Ogden and SLC are weird, though. Bastions of liberalism, since the more strictly conservative LDS folks are moving to the burbs to get away from all of us. Maybe it's my street (which is full of heathens), but we've never had a missionary at our door, nor have we had anyone evangelize to us. However, our friends with kids get frustrated because they feel like their kids get treated "differently" in school. And I can't imagine the difficulties of growing up here and NOT being LDS.

[giant]

Originally posted by midwinter
We have many LDS friends (mostly through work at the University), and the only problems we have out of them is that they're so wholesome and nice you want to puke. My next door neighbors are the friggin' Brady Bunch, complete with tow-headed kids having potato sack races in the backyard.
That's been my experience with them as well.
And I can't imagine the difficulties of growing up here and NOT being LDS.
Aside from this point you've made a pretty good pitch for the area.

[ColanderOfDeath]

Well, I moved here 2 years ago after 8 years in Oklahoma and growing up in Mississippi, and this is the most beautiful place on earth. I still spend lots of time with my jaw on the floor. The mountains are amazing.

Utah's mountains are beautiful. I'm partial to Timpanogo(/a)s. But IMMHO the mtns of the Sierra Nevada, the Canadian Rockies, the North Cascades and the Cascade Volcanoes are among the more beautiful places on Earth. Although if you are from Mississippi and Oklahoma then pretty much anywhere is going to seem like Xanadu in comparison. ;) ALthough I think one thing that really makes Utah attractive is the wild moonscapes of Southern Utah which gives some contrast to the Northern Mtns. There are some isolated spots with desert like that and the wildness but no other places in the US has the odd sandstone formations like that. Very cool.

I've spent some time in SLC as my uncle lives there and my dad used to live there and Ive spent some time around Mormons who were friends elsewhere. I don't think that they prostelitize as much there because anyone living there is either Mormon or already pretty well exposed to them.

Buddy up to them though and you'll find that some are on autopilot but there are a fair number, especially women, who are annoyed at lots of LDS stuff.

I think they drive a lot of people in education crazy though because that is such a state function and they meddle a lot. It gets real political. And they try to convert but they also really do exclude others.

Pretty much all of the Intermountain West has excellent housing prices since most of hte land was vacant and useless desert even 50 years ago. Certainly one big advantage over hte Pacific NW.

[midwinter]

Originally posted by ColanderOfDeath
I think they drive a lot of people in education crazy though because that is such a state function and they meddle a lot. It gets real political. And they try to convert but they also really do exclude others.

It's really not that bad. The only weird thing is what my students call the "Utah Bubble"—they so rarely get out of Utah that they don't understand, for instance, that The Work and the Glory (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410454/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8dHQ9b258ZmI9dXxwbj 0wfHE9d29yayBhbmQgdGhlIGdsb3J5fGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__ ;fc=1;ft=20;fm=1) wasn't showing in theaters worldwide.

The only truly strange things are the religious indoctrination centers. They call them "Institutes of Religion." Kids take classes in them in HS and at Uni. There's one DIRECTLY across the street from my office at the university.

[Hassan i Sabbah]

Originally posted by e1618978
That is good to know - my nephew is going to sub-saharan africa as part of the peace corps, and I was kind of worried about it.
It's a breeze. He'll have a blast. Rural Africa's safer than South America.

My ex-girlfriend travelled solo around Mozambique, Malawi, Swaziland, South Africa and Botswana, and she even went through Zimbabwe. I've seen people hitch-hiking through Lesotho.

The Peace Corps people always seem to be talking about reggae, showing off their command of local languages and getting drunk in spectacular places. :)

[New]

I'm taking my 4 year old to Kenya next year. It will be my first trip to sub-saharan Africa as well.

[Hassan i Sabbah]

Originally posted by New
I'm taking my 4 year old to Kenya next year. It will be my first trip to sub-saharan Africa as well.
Cool.

There's a place called Gedi on the coast, an abandoned city. I went there I was about 14: it rocked.

[New]

Originally posted by Hassan i Sabbah
Cool.

There's a place called Gedi on the coast, an abandoned city. I went there I was about 14: it rocked.

Thanks! :-) I also hear the muslim islands on the coast are very nice.

[Anders]

Originally posted by Hassan i Sabbah
My ex-girlfriend travelled solo around Mozambique, Malawi, Swaziland, South Africa and Botswana, and she even went through Zimbabwe.

Wow. I have been toying with the same idea the last couple of months...

[Hassan i Sabbah]

Originally posted by Anders
Wow. I have been toying with the same idea the last couple of months...
Everyone should do this. It's safe, it's cheap, it's beautiful, the people are great.

[e1618978]

Originally posted by e1618978
Has anyone here lived in both Australia and New Zealand? I know NSW and Queensland fairly well, so I would be interested in hearing what the differences are between the two countries.

Bump - anyone care to compare Australia and New Zealand? I figured the people have changed in a couple months - maybe I have a chance of new info.

[Carol A]

Originally posted by midwinter
And I can't imagine the difficulties of growing up here and NOT being LDS.
I had a colleague who lived in Utah when he was in junior high. The Mormom kids used to beat him up all the time because he wasn't LDS. :(

[Carol A]

Originally posted by e1618978
Bump - anyone care to compare Australia and New Zealand? I figured the people have changed in a couple months - maybe I have a chance of new info.
One thing a New Zealander told me over at AN is that apparently the country has no real industry but sheep, so there isn't much of a commercial tax base. Possibly as a consequence, he said there is a *lot* of pollution. (I guess he meant wrt the water.) :( It seems so beautiful there. I found his comments quite disheartening. :\

[AquaMac]

Originally posted by e1618978
What is the best English speaking country to live in? Every one that I can think of has problems.
Australia
---------
- Climate change and the ozone hole seems to be wrecking the country (for example, causing greatly increased hail at my father-in-law's farm)
- Greenies have too much power First you complain about the results of environmental abuse then you complain about the poeple trying to stop the environmental abuse?

[e1618978]

Originally posted by AquaMac
First you complain about the results of environmental abuse then you complain about the poeple trying to stop the environmental abuse?

This only makes sense when you realise that the environmental abuse that the greenies are trying to "fix" is not actually the environmental abuse that is "the problem".

Stopping home owners from cutting down a tree here and there is not going to fix the ozone hole (which is caused by arisol spray cans) - the two things have nothing to do with each other.

The australian greenies are stupid annoying busybodies, using environmental problems as an excuse to poke their nose in other peoples business. Kind of like the US greenies, but 10x worse.

[shetline]

I've come to the conclusion that I have to find a way to escape this planet and start a new country somewhere else. All of the countries here suck. I think it has something to do with people. There just no damned good.

[crazychester]

Right. Enough.
Originally posted by e1618978
Business owners can go to jail if one of their employees does something stupid and hurts themselves.
Where the death or serious injury of an employee occurs due to an employer negligently and recklessly failing to maintain workplace safety standards, the employer may be held to be criminally liable. Note, however, this only applies to government organizations and work places covered by applicable State legislation.

Climate change and the ozone hole seems to be wrecking the country (for example, causing greatly increased hail at my father-in-law's farm)
There's plenty of things you could have accused us of doing to wreck the country for which we could plead nothing but "Guilty as charged, Your Worship." But you choose the two things for which we bear no more or less responsibilty than anybody else in a first world nation. How very odd. I'll take this to mean you haven't got a friggin' clue what you're talking about.

Greenies have too much power
Greenies huh? Gee, we're not being fed our lines by old cocky, pa-in-law, are we? There are 76 seats in the Australian upper house, the Senate. The Australian Greens hold precisely 2 Senate seats and no House of Representative seats.

Other than that there are various environmental lobby groups just as there are lobby groups representing numerous other sectors of society.

This only makes sense when you realise that the environmental abuse that the greenies are trying to "fix" is not actually the environmental abuse that is "the problem".

Stopping home owners from cutting down a tree here and there is not going to fix the ozone hole (which is caused by arisol spray cans) - the two things have nothing to do with each other.
The "greenies" don't need to chain themselves to suburban shrubbery because, as far as I know, tree removal in all urban areas is subject to state or local council regulations. I think you might be referring to environmentalists trying to prevent land clearing, that is, widespread tree removal for agricultural purposes. I don't believe there's any dispute within environment, government or scientific circles that the destruction of millions of hectares of land by salination that is occuring as I type, is the result of past land clearing and land management practices.

e1618978 is a stupid annoying busybody, using limited knowledge as an excuse to poke his nose ignorantly in other peoples business. Kind of like many Americans, but 10x worse.
You asked for it. Give grover something to do anyway.

[Anders]

Okay. e-number may have a peculiar view on some aspects of environmental issues. But if you read the thread he has defended it three times now.

Could we take the environmental discussion with him elsewhere and offer what help we have got on his question in this thread?

[e1618978]

Originally posted by crazychester
There's plenty of things you could have accused us of doing to wreck the country for which we could plead nothing but "Guilty as charged, Your Worship." But you choose the two things for which we bear no more or less responsibilty than anybody else in a first world nation. How very odd. I'll take this to mean you haven't got a friggin' clue what you're talking about.

Sorry - I wasn't blaming Australians for those problems - the whole world is to blame of course. But the effects seem to be more noticable there.

Of course, this year we seem to have an early start on the Hurricane season, maybe it is starting up here as well.

crazychester - I wasn't trying to put Australia down, I think that it is one of the nicest countries to live in (probably #2 after coastal British Columbia). Maybe not the best country to start a business in, but not the worst either. Pretty fantastic country all round - much better than North Carolina.

[Marius]

...well, I can't see any good reasons why Zealand the New (where the fuck is OLD Zealand)is not the perfect place.;)

[e1618978]

Originally posted by Marius
where the fuck is OLD Zealand

The two Dutch provinces of Holland and Zeelandt were separated by sea, the same as Hollandia Nova (Australia) and Zelandia Nova (New Zealand).

[Marius]

Originally posted by e1618978
The two Dutch provinces of Holland and Zeelandt were separated by sea, the same as Hollandia Nova (Australia) and Zelandia Nova (New Zealand).

...thanx:)

[Protostar]

I too would like to move away from NC to another state or maybe too another country but am afraid I'll be in the minority when it comes to political views. What does everyone think about Iceland? I like the cold, but is there anything to do there or work?

[Anders]

There is a couple of active Icelandics on the macnn boards. Try ask them.

[audiopollution]

Originally posted by Protostar
I too would like to move away from NC to another state or maybe too another country but am afraid I'll be in the minority when it comes to political views.

Would it be a problem, to be in the minority?

What does everyone think about Iceland? I like the cold, but is there anything to do there or work?

Iceland is a beautiful place. With a population of approx. 300,000 you wont be finding all of the creature comforts that you have come to expect from living in the US. Need a job? You could tap some of that entrepreneurial spirit that you have and become a multi-zillionaire. How? You could learn to fish!

Seriously, though ... if you head over there with a grasp of only the English language you may have difficulty finding employment that, I suspect, would meet your criteria for collar-colour and renumeration.

[Protostar]

Audiopollution wrote:
Would it be a problem, to be in the minority?

Not really. I've been in the minority all of my life as far as race, so I guess being in the minority as far a political views is ok since I know my view is right.

Iceland is a beautiful place. With a population of approx. 300,000 you wont be finding all of the creature comforts that you have come to expect from living in the US. Need a job? You could tap some of that entrepreneurial spirit that you have and become a multi-zillionaire. How? You could learn to fish!

One question: Do they have broadband and where is it available?

Seriously, though ... if you head over there with a grasp of only the English language you may have difficulty finding employment that, I suspect, would meet your criteria for collar-colour and renumeration.

What language should I learn and become proficent in then?

[e1618978]

Protostar - you would love Hong Kong.

good things there: cool escalators that you can ride up and down the hill between apartments and work, ultimate capitalism, ultimate broadband (1 GBPs for $200), great food, nice weather, access to china which is really cheap (my neice and I got hour long armchair massages, where they soaked our feet in green tea, it cost $7 and the apologied for the high prices because it was a tourist area).

not so good: girls get felt up on the subway (if your girlfriend comes with you, she will only want to take cabs), expensive ($100 is typical resturaunt cost for two people), probably a little mild racism against you since you would be a minority.

[New]

You would be required to take an islandic name.

[audiopollution]

Originally posted by Protostar
Not really. I've been in the minority all of my life as far as race, so I guess being in the minority as far a political views is ok since I know my view is right.

Excellent. Problem #1 solved.

One question: Do they have broadband and where is it available?

Broadband is widely available there. (Why, oh why, is broadband so darned important to you?) They also have cell phones and tv. It's not all fish stew and lounging around in the Blue Lagoon. :)

What language should I learn and become proficent in then?

Icelandic.

Some German might help occasionally, too. English is widely spoken, but I think you would be best suited to arrive there with some knowledge of the native language.

[audiopollution]

Originally posted by New
You would be required to take an islandic name.

Don't tell him about the RULES! That'll be enough to scare him into staying in NC. ;)

Oh, yeah ... those rules about names are:

The following laws apply when naming children born in Iceland
None of the following laws apply to families where both parents are, or have been foreign citizens. These individuals are free to name their children according to their own customs.

In families where one parent is Icelandic and the other parent is or has been a foreign citizen, certain rules must be followed.
The name of the child must be registered within 6 months from birth.
Either the child’s first name or middle name must be on the current list of Icelandic names or parents must be able to prove that the name has historical links to Iceland.

Also, the name must comply with Icelandic grammar rules. Parents who choose one Icelandic name are allowed to select the second name from their respective language or culture. Parents are allowed a maximum of three names, i.e., two first names, and one middle name, or three first names. The child may have a foreign family name.

The following laws apply when becoming an Icelandic citizen:
A foreign-born national who is granted Icelandic citizenship is not required to change his/her name. The same applies to his/her foreign-born children. However, foreign nationals may assume an Icelandic name as their first or middle name if they so desire.

The following applies when an Icelander marries a foreigner:
As was mentioned earlier, foreign nationals do not have to change names when granted Icelandic citizenship. It is however permissible to take the family name of one’s spouse; one may either adopt the son or the daughter name. For instance, if Mary Smith marries Jon Jonsson she may be called, Mary Smith, Mary Jonsson or Mary Jonsdottir. If John Smith marries Maria Jonsdottir he may be called John Smith or John Jonsson.

[shetline]

What on earth (besides the hope of perhaps fooling him/her into leaving the US) makes anyone think Protostar would like Iceland?

It has strong social services, including socialized medicine.

While many taxes have been cut over the past decade or so, effective income tax rates are (at least according to the 2003 figures I could find online) nearly 40%.

Sounds more like Protostar's idea of Hell on Earth to me, albeit maybe not so deeply in the abyss as, say, Sweden. :)

[audiopollution]

Originally posted by shetline
What on earth (besides the hope of perhaps fooling him/her into leaving the US) makes anyone think Protostar would like Iceland?

It has strong social services, including socialized medicine.

While many taxes have been cut over the past decade or so, effective income tax rates are (at least according to the 2003 figures I could find online) nearly 40%.

Sounds more like Protostar's idea of Hell on Earth to me, albeit maybe not so deeply in the abyss as, say, Sweden. :)

I was hoping he'd figure that out. Rules about names! That's a government with too much time and money. haha :)

[Anders]

Originally posted by shetline
What on earth (besides the hope of perhaps fooling him/her into leaving the US) makes anyone think Protostar would like Iceland?


Would you like me to delete your post? :)

[shetline]

Originally posted by Anders
Would you like me to delete your post? :)
Tempting, tempting... :)

[Protostar]

Originally posted by e1618978
Protostar - you would love Hong Kong.

good things there: cool escalators that you can ride up and down the hill between apartments and work, ultimate capitalism, ultimate broadband (1 GBPs for $200), great food, nice weather, access to china which is really cheap (my neice and I got hour long armchair massages, where they soaked our feet in green tea, it cost $7 and the apologied for the high prices because it was a tourist area).

not so good: girls get felt up on the subway (if your girlfriend comes with you, she will only want to take cabs), expensive ($100 is typical resturaunt cost for two people), probably a little mild racism against you since you would be a minority.


Sounds awesome. How hot is it there? One of the main reasons I want to get away from NC is because of the heat (I heard the heat index was 115 on Wednesday on 96 rock). That's why I brought up Iceland. I've also lived here all my life and need to get away. And is that 200 dollars a month for broadband or a year or what?

[e1618978]

Originally posted by Protostar
Sounds awesome. How hot is it there? One of the main reasons I want to get away from NC is because of the heat (I heard the heat index was 115 on Wednesday on 96 rock). That's why I brought up Iceland. I've also lived here all my life and need to get away. And is that 200 dollars a month for broadband or a year or what?

$200/month - everything is expensive in Hong Kong, but wages are high. Kind of like New York City.

It is warmer in the winter and colder in the summer than NC, and the hurricanes are about the same:

http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/climahk.htm

You may also like Singapore - I have never been there but I heard that it is really nice (as long as you don't break any rules).

[Omega]

Originally posted by Carol A
One thing a New Zealander told me over at AN is that apparently the country has no real industry but sheep, so there isn't much of a commercial tax base. Possibly as a consequence, he said there is a *lot* of pollution. (I guess he meant wrt the water.) :( It seems so beautiful there. I found his comments quite disheartening. :\

Please allow me to rebutt!

My comments were that NZ has a high focus on primary industry, with dairy farming and forestry being predominant. Without this sector of industry a large chunk of the economy would disappear. In saying that the majority of people live in the cities, for example nearly 1/4 of the population live in Auckland alone.

As for the pollution aspect my comment that the perception that NZ'ers (notice the "'ers")are clean and green is a bit misleading. Personally I think we could be doing a lot more to help the environment, and people who can not walk two steps to put something in a rubbish bin should be shot. However in saying that because we do not have the population density the country itself is clean, but it always be better, especially because we promote ourselves to be a clean and green nation.

I would liken Auckland to a small Sydney, with a smattering of Melbourne thrown in for good measure. The only thing that is really horrendous is traffic and the escalating house prices pushing rents sky high.

Having lived in Sydney for a year I can honestly say I hated that city. Too money grabbing and dirty for my liking. Two years in Melbourne left me with the impression that maybe I could live long-term in the land of Oz (great city). Auckland, because of its smaller size is still very liveable. However many people like Wellington due to its cosmopolitan feel, though I have never lived there.

Just thought I should dispel the doom and gloom, and correct the misconception (and sorry I did not see it sooner - why is thread in the Pol Lounge?)

:)

[kneelbeforezod]

A friend of mine just moved to Iceland. According to him it is beautiful, fun and has some of the most amazing looking women he's ever seen. He did already know people when he moved there, so he was able to get established relatively easily, and he may have had less immigration crap to deal with since he has an EU passport. I don't know what the deal is for US citizens trying to live / work there.

The climate is not as cold as the name would suggest, due to the North Atlantic Drift. It's probably quite similar to Ireland. You definitely won't have to worry about 115 degree temperatures, but you probably won't freeze in winter either.

The CIA will tell you more...

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ic.html

[Protostar]

Originally posted by kneelbeforezod
A friend of mine just moved to Iceland. According to him it is beautiful, fun and has some of the most amazing looking women he's ever seen. He did already know people when he moved there, so he was able to get established relatively easily, and he may have had less immigration crap to deal with since he has an EU passport. I don't know what the deal is for US citizens trying to live / work there.

The climate is not as cold as the name would suggest, due to the North Atlantic Drift. It's probably quite similar to Ireland. You definitely won't have to worry about 115 degree temperatures, but you probably won't freeze in winter either.

The CIA will tell you more...

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ic.html

Hmmmmmmm...Broadband internet+beautiful women+cool climate= awesome place to live. I think I'd like it there. I still haven't ruled out Hong Kong yet, I have a thing for Asian chicks (and 1Gbps broadband internet access, WOOOOH!!).

[e1618978]

Originally posted by Omega
Having lived in Sydney for a year I can honestly say I hated that city. Too money grabbing and dirty for my liking.

Thats funny - I thought that Sydney was remarkably clean for a city of that size, and the people were nicer than normal. I guess that it depends on what you are comparing things to. I am guessing that you will absolutely hate most US cities.

[Omega]

Did you live there or just visit?

The inner city and the popular tourist areas are nice places to visit, but you do not have to scratch that city very hard or go very far to end up in suburbs that I found downright depressing.

[e1618978]

Originally posted by Omega
Did you live there or just visit?

The inner city and the popular tourist areas are nice places to visit, but you do not have to scratch that city very hard or go very far to end up in suburbs that I found downright depressing.

I have visited a few times, the longest was for a week or 10 days in 1996, but I never made it out of the city center - I will reserve judgement until I see the suburbs.

There was a pilots strike, and I was stranded there with a colicy 9 month old baby who would not sleep, and a nagging wife. The tension was high, as the only inn with a room was in a $400 hotel for the first three days. Needless to say, I was not predisposed to like the place but I still did.