h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

>>At this time of year, southern Italy gets rather hot, so unfortunately many southerners have come up North. It is so easy to spot them, one can tell them apart from the locals in an instant. Why, I wonder, do these people not take pride in their appearance?>>

Perhaps because they are on their holidays? I live in Portugal which is the other way around and a lot of wealthy, important, productive businessmen and their families come down for a month or so in July/August. They arrive well shaven and well dressed and that lasts for about a week, when the shaving stops and the suits come off and shorts and t-shirts for the beach come out. They are hugely noticeable from the poorer, but well dressed for work Southerners!

As for getting on well with most Scottish people, this is one who you'll not be getting on so well with! In your way of calculating creationist scientists, including the "thug" who attacked you, that makes 66% of Scottish people who you don't get on with!

And by the way, with this northeners are less well off business. My parents are Scottish, Northern, extremely wealthy and at last count have 4 homes across the globe. I personally am not extremely wealthy, but everything I own, as well as my university education at Aberdeen Uni, I have worked hard and saved for and I receive no financial backing from my family (except for a free bed at theirs when I want to go on holiday) Can you say the same I wonder as it appears to me that your family have so far provided you with a private education, a flash car and free holidays. How many of your belongings have you actually worked your butt off in order to purchase?

My parents have given me boundless amounts of freedom, love, support and encouragement and I think that this is far more important than the car they gave me!

It's easy to be patronising about the state of someone else's finances when you didn't have to work for your own.

Hey az, I was one of those very well behaved, very polite and well mannered Celtic fans in Seville for the UEFA Cup final against Porto in Seville What a fabulous, friendly atmosphere and the Spanish hosts were so welcoming and really joined in the spirit of things. I get to Seville about once a month cos the shops there are so much better than the one's here in the Algarve!

Deakie,

Well good for you. I do help my father with his business affairs from time to time, but I do not work or save. I have no need to do so, and I am not ashamed to say that. However, my family see ourselves as a unit, and the property of one is the property of all. As Christians, that is what we are asked to do in scripture.

If I may ask, where are your parents' four homes? Do you ever let them out? We also own some properties in London, which we currently let out to city workers. There is potential for a very tidy profit indeed there, although personally I think we should have sold a couple of years back when the London market reached its peak. We had a place in France too, but got rid of it a few years ago as we simply weren't using it.

I don't particularly like Portugal myself. I have only been there once, and found the standard of customer service rather shoody and our hotel manager was extremely rude.

shoody?


az

Sam,

You are 19 years old and you see nothing wrong with sponging off your parents? And seriously, have you never worked a day in your life? I juggled two part-time jobs to get through uni. It also opened my eyes to the real world!

For your own sake, you should give it a try, if only for a few weeks. Seriously.

"I do help my father with his business affairs from time to time, but I do not work or save. I have no need to do so, and I am not ashamed to say that."

And do you help Uncle Peter, what are you, his indoctrination centres... sorry, schools science curriculum advisor?

I do not see the need to work. As I said, I do assist my father from time to time in his business affairs. I did actually take a job as a postman once, but subcontracted the work to a less well off friend. Made a tidy profit as well!

Sir Peter is doing very well indeed on his own, and has done wonderful work in this country as an educationalist. If you had a scrap of integrity about you you'd recognise that.

So Sam, are you ever going to be of any use to this country and be a productive member of society or just remain bone idle and sponging?

I think I have more integrity, I wouldn't ban students taking exams because their grades might make the school look bad as you unlce Peters foundation has done...

Hey Deakie!

You were here??? Wow. And as a Celtic fan even though you now live in Portugal.

Comparatively speaking, there were very few Porto fans here, but whenever I saw two groups meet in the street (all carrying plastic cups of beer) they would greet each other and offer to share.

I'm not a football fan myself but my heart really did go out to the Celtics and their fans when they lost the cup - it was one of the few matches I've ever watched on TV (and have to say those Portuguese players were *very* cute ).

Interesting point was that after the match there was no trashing of property or even any noisy mayhem in the streets. In fact, it was a bit funereal here afterwards (which I guess you know).

Where do you live in the Algarve?


az

Sam, you may ask.

My parents currently have homes in Angus in Scotland, in Hampshire and on Skopelos in Greece. They spend most of their time at their home in Cyprus as neither of them work and they enjoy the sunshine there. None of the houses are let out as they are family homes, and are all used by member of the family fairly frequently. As a good Catholic family, there are many children!

It's a pity you didn't enjoy Portugal as it is a beautiful country of huge contrasts with stunning scenery and generally friendly people.

<>

Well, too bad for you. How do you ever expect to gain experience in the world if you refuse to work?

az

<>

Spoken like a true snobbish brat!


az

BTW, what's a 2.1 in percentages or A B C D level?

Sam, I'm 20, in my 2nd year of uni, doing a BA with a double Major in History and English. I work 2 jobs and still manage a A- in every course.

"Well, too bad for you. How do you ever expect to gain experience in the world if you refuse to work?"

It's safer, if he gains experience of the real world, his YECism might come crashing down around his ears...

"BTW, what's a 2.1 in percentages or A B C D level?"

Nominally 60-70%

I don't know, say equiv B/C, not really a comparable scale... where you at?

A- is 80%ish

Az, I'm not a huge football fan either but my boss couldn't use his tickets, so off we went!! I ended up with 4 Porto scarves and one shirt from fans after the match. Everyone was stripping off and swapping them over. I was soooo impressed by the local street cleaning teams. We went early in the day and throughout, all those plastic cups were being left (very tidily!) on the windowsills and doorways of shops in the centre of Seville. When the match finished and we were walking back through the centre, hundreds of street sweepers and cleaners were scouring the streets and they were almost pristine again.

I live in Portimao now, I was living in Beja for a while but I relocated to the company's other office in the Algarve as it was busier. (And a lot closer to the beach for the summer

<> (Deakie)

Lisbon is still one of my 'dream cities' - places I want to visit.

Sam, I suggest you never come to Andalucia. You will find many happy people here going about there business in a very relaxed and pleasant manner that will probably consider 'shoody'.


az

"I was ... punched by a young football thug in a Celtic top."

Surely it cannot have escaped even your blinkered attention that Glasgow, of all places, is not a good place to preach sectarian hatred. I'm astounded that the policeman didn't arrest you as well.