Belgium?

Oh god I swa the stien shape and thought germany.

Argh Dumbkopf.

The Republic Of South Africa lends itself to the bottle opener shape.

Sid,

the phrase has always been "cowboys and indians" in the old days the red prefix was only ever used to differentiate between people from India and native americans.

The fuse box one, I have always thought is one of the few instances of Phil The Greek, as he is known over here,making a legitimate mistake rather than just being an ignorant inbred dolt.

In the UK we have a phrase for unqualified and shoddy workmen, we call them COWBOYS.

Thus you have cowboy builders, cowboy electricians and the like.

So it seems a legit mistake to say Indian when you meant cowboy.

Now don't get me wrong, he is an arse 99% of the time, just this once I don't think he was.

That reminded me of the Cité des Sciences in Paris.

http://articles.mongueurs.net/comptes-rendus/fpw2004-short/geode.jpg

Which is a good day out, and also used to be an enormous automated abbatoir.

The over head automatic carousewl that used to move carcasses, is still installed.

Of course having said that, I must afdmit that my absolute favourite pen in the whole wide world is the black Bic fine point.

http://www.gmstationery.com.au/images/bic%20fine%20blk.jpg

great pen.

László Bíró invented the ballpoint ben in 1931 so I think Bic may have cleaned up financially from the idea but it'd be a big step to attribute the invention to Bich.

Covered bridges.

Maybe you have to grow up with them to "get it" as it were, but I just can not see the sense in them.

In fact I find them ugly and they seem mean in their outlook.

It's a small barn on a bridge that denies all people the simple enjoyment of looking down on the water, hell you can't even play pooh sticks on one.

Also why cover a bridge?

If it's raining on one side it'll be raining on the other surely.

It's not even like you could park up there, it's a road so people will always need free passage.

Oh and tower Bridge is a Bascule Bridge.

I say that purely for the enjoyment of saying Bascule...BASCULE.

Oh I forgot to say, yes her scots andm irish were out but good god she was brilliant by comparison to some of the garbage accents I've heard from US films and TV.

The TV show LOST had an episode covering the back story of the Scottish guy, in that were fake jock accents last heard in Brigadoon.

So she is a hell of a lot better than most I've heard.

I'm a Jock/Paddy mongrel and have lived all over the uk, I've family in France and spent many years in australia.

So I can't really comment on most of the US accents here with any great certainty, but if they were like the ones I know then...

The Glasgow and Belfast as well as the Dublin were all out. The Aussie, Sydneysider and Bush "Ocker" were out too. The Kiwi was out as well.

The french was a bit cartoon.

BUT....and it's a BIG BUT, they were all remarkably close, and doubly so considering they were all done in VERY quick succession.

I get the impression that if she spoke to a Glaswegian, or anyone, for 30 mins she'd have nailed it.

Very impressive.

Well done

This would have benefitted by having the actual epitaphs transcribed into the text, as several of them are near illegible.

yay great news....cue the patent coming into efect and the world being held to ransom.

How is this guy a paedo? he's a dirty old bastard yes but she m is by any judgement a woman. A very young one but a woman none the less.

It is the case that the age of consent in the US is 18?

So this is why your courts are snowed under with Statuatory rape cases?

What happens if two sixteen year old shag? Are they both arrested?

Seems extraordinary levels of state sponsored intrusion into peoples lives to me.

Isn't oral and anal illegal in most states too?

land of the free indeed.

man that must be the least kosher/halal meal ever devised.

Ah the joys of the atheist diner!

It's like the Melbourne Shuffle in reverse, huge arm motions but very little foot movement.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=melbourne+shuffle&search_type=

Similarly I as a white Scotsman can eaily test race relations in the US by arrivving in the JFK in full black minstrel face.

This guy brings so much to the situation that will assist him that need not be mentioned.

His accent will be educated white upper/middle class from Raleigh North cArolina. That alone will help.

he's a presentable WHUITE guy, with a preppy haircut and absolutely no history in the circles in which he moves.

And most importantly of all, he can step away back into the luxury of his Mum and Dad's house at a MOMENTS NOTICE.

The real story is that if you are homeless, or even just piss poor, there is no magic ejector seat.

The real story isn;'t the existance of the american dream but the stark reality of the death of hope.

But gosh he'll dine out on how great he is and how crap the poor are,and doubly so when he inevitably tries his hand at politics.