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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
I do seem to meet a disproportionately high number of young New Zealanders travelling in the UK, especially in Edinburgh. Talking to them, it seems that a long European tour is something that they plan for and look forward to as an important part of growing up in the same way that the "Grand Tour" was undertaken by young men of privilege in earlier times.
I see some but not nearly as many young people from the USA doing the same thing. They tend to be in student groups, rather than travelling as individuals (and it is still, Monday in Paris, Tuesday in Rome). I wonder if this is because they have more of North America to discover without needing to venture further. Maybe it is because college fees are more expensive so they may need to work in their holidays to keep themselves afloat. Once people are working, I hear that two weeks holiday (sorry, vacation) a year is the norm, so most people don't get the time or the money to travel until they are older.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
>of the candidates, one had only been outside of the USA three times in his life, referred to the inhabitants of Greece as ‘Greecians’, and did not know the names of the leaders of either Pakistan or India <
This is really scary. Jackie, it really dies matter to us who is carrying around the "nucular" button. It really does matter that someone who may be asked to attend or even chair peace talks in the Middle East, Eastern Europe or Northern Ireland has heard of the countries, people and histories involved. Mind you, our Prince Philip, your Ronald Regan and Russia's Boris Yeltsin were/are hardly well known for having their fingers on the pulse.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
True of course, Jo. A great deal depends on who is running for office. Very rarely, and maybe never, is there a write-in candidate elected to a congressional position, and if the ones officially on the ballot are all idiots, well...
one of them will be elected.
Basically, I just hope that whoever is sent on important missions gets informed, if they weren't already. (Yes, I know that's bad--see the first sentence in my last paragraph.)
I noticed yesterday on my ballot that in 7 or 8 of Louisville's aldermanic positions, only the incumbent was listed: running unopposed. And, the other day, the paper
mentioned a small town in KY that can't find enough people willing to do some of the leadership jobs. Sad, both.
I have always counted on others taking up the slack for me in my lack of interest in politics--after all, there are plenty of other people around, many of whom seem to be rather fanatical on the subject. But when, earlier this year, there was no candidate at first willing to run for an
open school board slot, I must confess to the first, tiny,
flicker of interest in actually "getting off my R's". (I
love that expression!)
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
Louisville's aldermanic positionscan't be all that manic if they lack candidates for it  . What does one do in such a position?
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Louisville's aldermanic positions
Create, review, and enact ordinances. Approve contracts with city employees. (The ones for the police and fire dep'ts. are the biggest newsmakers.) There are 12 of them,
and they are supposed to work with the mayor. They also have funds which they use for special projects in the part of town they represent.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
>Create, review, and enact ordinances
Oh its just like SIMs City - I always thought "ordinances" was a made-up term. Are they what we call by-laws, or are they different?
It's a wonderful game for making one appreciate the power of the press. Unfortunately I always go bankrupt too soon. The "people" are obviously only programmed to be able to accept US style taxation, if it gets too high,t hey move out, despite all my lovely schools, hospitals, parks and universities. Mutter, mutter, mutter ...... just ignore me.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
"ordinances" ...Are they what we call by-laws, or are they different?
That, I do not know. We use the term ordinances, because
they rank lower than state law. The city cannot enact an
ordinance that is in conflict with a state law, which
automatically supersedes it if they do it accidentally.
I believe this has been mentioned in AWAD before: Louisville has a now-sold-and-revamped Naval Ordnance plant.
Though many locals confuse the two words, they have VERY
different meanings!
Since this is sort of a political thread, I thought you-all
might be interested to know that I voted for Gore, and my
husband voted for--Bush! Ack!
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
Jackie, your "ordinances" do sound very much like our "bye-laws" - the same rules apply.
The difference is, I think, that your "Aldermen" actually have power, (and financial powera at that!) whilst the Aldermen on English Town Councils are just "Senior Local Councillors," with very few real powers at all.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757 |
How is the langauge corrupted by experience! Originally from Old English ealdorman or older man as a synonym for wise person - and now a local councillor... Still, what I sense from many comments on and off board is that there are still lots of people who care deeply about what is done in the name of the people. And if this board demonstrates nothing else, it surely points to the new world we all now live in, where our interests can be shared across boundaries of space, time and even to some extent language (aenigma allowing) 
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
>(aenigma allowing) aenigma, enigma tells us, should be Aeolus -- the god of winds and ruler of a floating island. 
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