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

Country music has a huge following in England and line dancing is a craze that has grabbed hold of the nation. Most towns have a line dancing group weekly. I have just spent 2 weeks in an elderly day unit and the occupational therapist had been doing line dancing with the elderly to keep them fit.

Americans drinking pints of stout and saying "bloody", eh? I did once watch a TV programme about a group of Americans who are big fans of one of our soap operas, Eastenders. It was funny to see them doing the East End accents. What do you mean by stout? It's difficult to buy stout in England anymore as it's not popular. Guinness is about the only stout and that's Irish. Most Brits drink lager , give me a nice pint of English ale and I'm very happy

In the last couple of months tops have appeared in British shops with the American flag on them and loads of people have been wearing tops with New York written on them. Some of our daily papers published the American flag with the intstruction to display it in our windows. The most moving tribute to me though was when the whole country held 2 minutes silence at the same time on the 14th Sept. I was at college that day. At 11am, the college bells were rung and everyone stopped what they were doing for 2 minutes remembrance. A couple of weeks later was the last night of the Proms. This is a great British institution. It is a concert held every year and the second half of it follows the same programme every year. It is a riotous celebration of music that symoblises Britain. People dress up in red, white and blue, they join in with the singing and make all sorts of noise with whistles, hooters, etc. This year though it broke with tradition and the whole programme was changed. A lot of American flags were flown along side the union jacks and the music was appropraite for the situation.

Although there is a lot of support for America there is a lot of unease too though. The British people have never been keen on the Son of Star Wars project and I think are unsure of George W Bush. Many people are not confident in the decisions that are being made about the war in Afghanistan either. It's tricky. I think some Americans (and British) do have the opinion that 'if you're not with us you're against us'. Maybe we need a Clinton-type third way. Something good that has come out of all this is that the IRA are finally starting to decomission weapons. New anti-terrorism laws have been brought in over here and thanks to them a group of Real-IRA terrorists have been detained. A farm in Yorkshire is being searched and all locals have been evacuated while controlled explosions are carried out. In the last few weeks there have been a couple of car bombs being set off again. *sigh* I wonder when it will all stop.

Well, I'd better stop my ramblings there. I won't be around for the next fortnight so I'll talk to you when I return. I'm going to go on a good old English pub crawl on Friday night so I'll think of you and have a couple of beers and say a few 'bloodys' in your honour

Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Americans mean something different by "stout." To me, it just tastes like a very dark, heavy beer. What is the difference between stout, lager, and ale?

Good God, I've forgotten about Eastenders. There are a lot of Eastenders fans here. I've tried watching it, but the first episode I saw was obviously part of an ongoing story, and I just didn't want to take the time to catch up on the story line.

Ah, the missle "defence" system. Most Americans are so afraid of the terrorist boogy-man that the missle system seems a foregone conclusion. But I think Americans are quite worried about George W. After all, he's walked away from Kyoto, he was willing to abandon the ABM Treaty, and so many other situations. He really has encouraged a "Fortress America" mentality.

I'm glad to hear that the IRA is decomissioning weapons. That's something that Americans get quite worked up over. I'm not sure why.

Well, have a good time on the Pub crawl!

I'm back and I'm drowning in a sea of backlog although I am slowly catching up. I'm sure I'll miss a few postings though. Can't be helped.

Where were we in our rather rambling but enjoyable conversation?

Mmm, Eastenders I'm surprised they don't put subtitles on it for American viewing, the accents are pretty bad. "Ere wodya fink yor doin? Gi ow ov i'" and the like

The difference between stout, lager and ale? Well, ale is wonderful, stout is very thick and filling and lager tastes like p**s. Officially it's the way they are made. There's a good guide entry on Ale and lager that explains it http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A593246

Americans get worked up over the IRA? I didn't realise that. There's a general feeling in Britain that the US has paid a lot of attention to its own terrorist problems but forgotten that many other countries have problems with terrorism that have been going on for a long time. I suppose the only American view we get is the view of your politicians on our news reports. Politicians are notoriously short-sighted and as ours don't reflect the view of the people I doubt yours do either.

The pub crawl was OK thanks although I think I must be getting old because at 10-30 I found myself looking at my watch and wishing I was at home, in front of the telly with a cup of hot chocolate!

I'll have to check out that entry. Thanks!

Americans do indeed get worked up over the IRA. Partly because of our mixed heritage... there are a lot of people in this country with family on both sides of the conflict, and no one wants to see people getting hurt. But I think it also gets people a bit edgy because if it can happen there, it could happen here. There are a lot of people who are unhappy with the status quo in this country, and many have noticed that violence can kidnap the political agenda... some even view the IRA as a model for action. Most Americans see the trouble with the IRA, and wonder how we would cope if that kind of long term terrorist problem would ever happen here. And after Sept. 11th, that's become a real worry. The easy access to powerful guns doesn't do anything to calm the fears of the average American. Our street gangs are better equiped for combat than our police force.

And, well... there is some truth to what you said. Americans do tend forget that there is a world outside our borders until something brings it home to us. But Americans have always been frustrated over the image that we don't care. Most people in this country think of Britain and Israel as our closest friends, and want our government to take a more active role in finding a solution to the terrorist problems. But what the American people want is not always reflected in our foreign policy. And, of course, when we DO try to take a more active role, we seem to make problems worse.

10-30 and you were ready to go home? I can relate to that. My friends like to stay out all night and drink until the bouncers kick them out. I'd rather go home at a decent hour... but then, I am getting old. I'm glad the pub crawl went well, though.

So, how far are you into your studies? How many years do you have to go?

That's what I love about h2g2: I get to meet and chat to so many people in so many different places, and I get to discuss issues and find out what things are really like, rather than how they are perceived through stereotypes and the media.

I think I'm getting old too. My favourite time to go out is 4pm, then I can catch the bus home at 8pm and get to bed at a decent time

I've just started my 2nd year of studies so I've got a little less than 2 years to go until I qualify. I'm hoping that when I am qualified and working, the health trust I'll work for will second me to get my degree. I'm pleased to be able to say that my studies are going very well. I have surprised myself by how well I'm doing. I started a degree 6 years ago but dropped out and my confidence was knocked back by this, so when I started the nursing course I had big doubts over my abilities, but I have proved myself wrong

So what do you do when you're not appreciating cricket and spreading the news of lacrosse?

I've just read your entry on socks. It's great Have you entered it into peer review yet? If not, why not?

Other than cricket and Lacrosse? Hmm... not much.

Actually, I'm a textbook editor, so I spend most of my day reading. Then I get home and either design web pages or do more reading. I spend all week sitting still, so I need to get all of my activity in on the weekend.

When lacrosse season ends, I spend as much time behind my drums as possible. I used to play in local bands, but now I just play on my own. And Kendo is a big part of my life, although I haven't found a new instructor since I moved to Ohio. I cook a lot, too. I'm currently trying to learn how to cook vegan meals. I'm not a vegan, myself, but I've wanted to expand my culinary horizons for a while. This seemed like a great way to go.

I'm quite impressed that you went back to your studies after dropping out. That can be so difficult. I dropped out of school (to work on my novel... which I never finished ), but re-enrolled later, and it was a BRUTAL semester. My sister did the same thing, and had a hard time getting back into the swing of things. So it's great that you were able to re-enroll.

I'm not sure if my entry on socks is ready for peer review. I'd like to enter it soon, but I think it needs a bit more work. But thanks for the vote of confidence!

Sitting around all day reading sounds great, until you have to do it. I've always thought of myself as quite a sedentry person, the idea of doing some form of organised sport fills me with dread. It isn't until I'm in college or on a placement that involves a lot of sitting down that I realise how active I am really. When in the hospital I spend the whole time on the go and I don't drive a car either so I walk everywhere. I love to spend my free time sitting and relaxing but I find I get bored doing a job that requires sitting down.

So, are there any plans to finish the novel or is it one of those projects you wish you'd never started?

Going back to college was difficult because of my lack of self-confidence but wasn't a problem otherwise because it was a different institution to the university I had previously attended so I didn't feel any external pressures. The college prefers taking older students to do the nursing course as they feel we have more life-experience so I don't feel older than everyone else. There are a good mix of ages from 17-55! I just have to keep reminding myself every so often that I'm doing well. I think it's important because it's so easy to be negative.

Is Vegan cooking quite interesting? I'd have thought a person needs to be very creative to make a tasty, appetising vegan meal. I'm not vegetarian but I have noticed that a lot of vegetarian food contains nuts (I'm a nut allergy sufferer) because they provide the protein that meat eaters get from meat. I would imagine it's very important for vegan's to eat a carefully balanced diet as they could miss vital nutrients found in the food they cut out.

How did you get into textbook editing and what type of textbooks do you edit?

Strange... I thought I had posted a reply to this message already. Oh, well.

It must be nice to be able to get around and not need a car. American cities are so spread out with such poor public transportation that having a car is necessary.

Ah, my novel. Well, it will be done one day. Right now, it's on hold. I think the novel is some malign entity, sucking away my free time and turning my hair grey.

What inspired your return to college?

Vegan cooking is quite interesting, but very frustrating. It's hard to make tasty meals that appeal to everyone when all you have to work with is hummus, soybeans, and tofu.

I fell into textbook editing, actually. It was somewhat related to my degree, and the city I live in has several textbook publishers. A friend of a friend got me the job to put an end to my aimlessly wandering from job to job. I did a lot of different things, just to pay the rent, but odd jobs aren't very stable. The textbook industry is.

Right now, I'm working on a math project for algebra students, but I just finished working on a physics project. I really enjoyed the physics work, and the biology project was quite interesting, too. But neither project was destined to last very long. This math project just goes on forever, though. It's like I'm back in school again!

"math project" 2 words guaranteed to send a shiver down my spine

I was inspired to go back to college because I had become fed up with the job I was doing, found I was getting bored without having any work that required brain power and decided that I would earn more money if I was qualified. I was actually working as a care assistant and I enjoyed it but wanted to know more and be able to use my brain. Nursing seemed an obvious career move and one I am very glad I've made. I enjoy the biology and sociology, hate the maths though.

It's nice to walk around where I live because I am by the sea, the roads are small and the area is very old fashioned. Not driving has it's drawbacks though. The big supermarkets are only accessible by car so I have to shop in smaller stores that charge more for goods. I also have to rely on buses to get me to and from college and placements and the buses are expensive, unreliable, old and cramped. A 20 minute car journey can take me 1 1/2 hours by bus sometimes.

Actually, the Math project isn't so bad. It's much better than endless pages of birth control material I was editing before.

How much education must you have to go into Nursing? I'm not sure how the British educational system differs from the American system.

Ah, the bus system. The city I live in is considering cutting the public transportation budget by some ungodly figure. I've heard of some American cities where the public transportation systems might be removed COMPLETELY! I can't believe the voters would allow that to happen, though.

Have you always lived where you are now? It sounds like a nice spot to settle in. (Other than the 1 1/2 hour bus rides. )

At the moment you only need GCSEs (the exams taken at 16) to go into nursing although I and some others also have A-levels (exams at 18). An access course or an NVQ 3 (vocational training) will also get you in. If you have an appropriate related degree you can skip some of the training although if your degree isn't appropriate then you still have to do the full 3 years. One of the women in my group has an MA. Alternatively, if a mature student doesn't have any formal qualification they can sit a DC test. It tests ability in English, Maths and Science and is apparantly quite difficult.

Given the choice between Maths and birth control, I'd go for the birth control every time. I was helping give birth control advice to clients a couple of weeks ago. When I asked one of the trained staff for advice for one couple she told me "take a copy of the Radio Times (BBC TV listings magazine), stick it between your knees and squeeze"

In USA terms I have always lived in this area (within a 30 mile radius anyway). And in true English, historical style my family have lived in this area for many hundreds of years I don't know how long it takes to be considered a local though

What about you? What's your home town like?

Sorry about the delay in the reply... the holiday season is always hectic.

Your family has lived in the same place for hundreds of years? That is such a hard concept to wrap my brain around. In the last ten years, I've lived in six different places (at least 100 miles apart). I've finally managed to settle down, though I think I'll be moving again soon. I don't want to, because I like my house. But I have to go where I can find a job that pays well. As much as I like my current job, it doesn't pay enough.

Well, my hometown or where I was raised? I live outside of Columbus, Ohio, which is a fairly large city. It has a large University and several other small schools. Just about everything caters to the University. Columbus is a strange city. It has more than doubled its size in the last ten years, but it still has an old system of roadways and a poor public transit system. Other than that, it's a nice city... clean, friendly, and safe.

I grew up in a college town in Upstate New York, not actually in New York City, and lived just a stone throw away from a Native reservation (where my Lacrosse interest comes from).

It sounds like the British educational system has a great deal of testing and certifications. How does the system work? The American system has just instituted seriously inefficient standardized tests that don't please any of the educators, don't test the right information, and serve just to bog down a system that is already choking with its own paperwork. Really, American schools are nothing great until one gets to the Universities... and even those are slipping in recent years. I had wanted to study overseas, but I couldn't afford it.

I'm not entirely sure how the English education system works anymore as it's constantly changing (much to the irritation of teachers and students). It's all rather complicated, but I'll try and give a brief overview of what I know.

All children are entitled to a free place at a state school from the age of 4 (I think, when I started school it was 5) to the age of 18. Before then parents can pay to send their children to playschools (mostly just for play) or nursery schools (more educationally based). The complication arises because there are so many different types of schools in England. Infant schools take 4-7 year olds, juniors take 7-11. Some schools are primary schools and take 4-11 year olds. Others schools are church schools, either Church of England or Catholic. They are allowed to choose 75% of their pupils but have to take 25% non-chosen pupils to receive their funding. Some parts of the country have middle schools for children aged 7-13.

Are you still with me?

Schools for over 11s include: comprehensive schools, secondary schools and grammar schools. Grammar schools only exist in certain parts of the country and are controversial because they are selective. However, I went to a grammer school so my view on this is biased. The govt is trying to abolish them.

All state schools have to teach what is on the national curriculum. This changes every so often, particularly around the time of elections. It is also said that there aren't enough hours in school time to teach all the subjects. In recent years, exams have been introduced at 7 and 14 to provide info for league tables and measure the progress of schools (yet more controversy). In some areas there are also exams at 11 for entrance to grammar school. At 16 students take GCSEs and at 18 A-levels and AS levels. These are the exams that are counted when applying for further or higher education (I won't bother explaining that). However, new vocational courses have also been introduced that are the equivalent to A-levels.

Further education and higher education are of course just as complicated. Public schools are fee paying and can do whatever they like. They don't have to follow the national curriculum and some are planning to introduce the European Baccalaureate exams in replace of the English ones. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different systems, although anyone in the UK can go to university anywhere in the UK. Due to the confusion that different exams certificates can cause, A-levels and Scottish highers are also awarded points as well as grades.

Are you sure you wanted to know all this? It's OK, I won't be testing you later. The basic gist of the system is that everyone is disatisfied with it and it's a big vote swaying issue. Bad achieving schools are now being 'managed' by companies. This rather goes against the idea of state run education and is very controversial.

Anyway, did you have a good Christmas? Best wishes for the new year and good luck in finding a new job.

My goodness! The next time I complain about all of the unnecessary regulations and proceedures in American schools, I'll just remember your explanation! That's mind-boggling!

My Christmas was quite nice. It was quiet, calm, and we got to see some friends that we only get together with a few times a year. How was yours?

Thank you for the well-wishes on finding a job. Although, I think I'm going to push back the job hunt for a while, and take out student loans to go back to school instead. I'd like to pick up another degree or two, and I've wanted to get into Information Theory or Linguistics for a while.

Christmas was good, thanks. I spent some time with very new friends, met up with a friend I hadn't seen for 18 years and spent time with family. It felt like everything Christmas should be and I am now running the risk of sounding mushy and sentimental

Phew, going back to school again? That's quite a big thing. Good luck. Does your local uni run the courses you're interested in or will you have to move away somewhere?

Hey, mushy and sentimental is nice. That's part of the whole holiday season.

I can take most of the courses that I want right here at home, but I'd actually like to go someplace a bit smaller. I'd really like to become a Teaching Assistant, and those spots are hard to find in a big University. A smaller school might be a better fit for me. The problem is, if I go too small, the University won't have the kind of program I want (I'd like to go for Robotics and Information Theory).

Haven't seen this friend for 18 years, eh? is this an old school friend? There must have been a lot to catch up on after 18 years.

We went to infant school together but haven't seen each other since we were 6. My friend's sister asked her what we'd find to talk about. 18 years of catching up gave us plenty to discuss. We spent about 7 hours in various pubs just chatting, eating and drinking. It was lovely. The silly thing is that we don't live that far apart. As my friend pointed out though, when you're 6, 35 miles away might as well be the opposite side of the world because you've got no way of meeting each other. We've been writing to each other for 17 years but never got around to meeting. We have promised not to leave it another 18 years until we meet again.

What is a teaching assistant? In England teaching assistants don't really require any special training or they take vocational courses. I'm guessing that the US teaching assistant is something different. I agree about the size of uni. The uni I first went to was quite big and it all seems overwhelming and impersonal. The university college I go to now is much smaller and I like it far better. I suppose it's psychological. What degree is it you've already got? Do Robotics and Information Theory tie in with it or are they a break from what you've been doing?

That is very true... 35 miles might as well be the other side of the world. I knew someone in pre-school (I'm assuming this is the same as infant school), and lost touch with him. At age 13 we met again, and became very close. We only lived about ten miles apart, but how was I supposed to get to him? It's strange... when I was five, ten minutes in the car seemed like an eternity, ten miles away might has well been another planet.

I'm glad you had fun re-connecting with your friend. That is such a joy.

A teaching assistant in the US is someone who already has an undergraduate degree but is pursuing advanced degrees. That person can go to school for free if they teach some courses for new students. My problem is that I'd be teaching courses in English Lit (which my first degree is in), but taking courses in software design, robotics, and control systems. Universities are generally not inclined to let someone teach courses outside of their field of advanced studies, but it has been known to happen.

Information Theory and Robotics are a HUGE break from what I have been doing. I'm going to have to take a few prerequisite courses in order to get into the meat of the Robotics program. But, I've been a part-time hacker and robot enthusiast for several years now. It shouldn't be too hard to catch up to the rest of the students in the program.

Ah, I understand you now. I have seen teaching assistants on US programmes. I think something similar occurs over here but I'm not sure how it works. It seems to only occur in the sciences. Post grads become demonstrators (I think)

That is a big change in direction. Do you think it would be difficult to teach Eng Lit while learning Information Theory and Robotics? Sounds worthwhile trying if that's what you want to do. What's the worse case scenario anyway? I can't see that you've got anything to lose.

Anyway, I shouldn't really be here. I have 3 essays to do for Monday. You could practice your motivational teaching skills if you like and find some way to get rid of my writer's block and help me find the inclination to work. What's that? You haven't mastered miracle working yet? That's a shame I'm off to bang my head against a brick wall

TTYL

I haven't managed to go and write an essay yet, but I have read your entry on socks. Why is it not in peer review? I think you should enter it for inclusion in the edited guide. I loved it