Some questions about America
tovo wrote:
This link will show you an RNZAF recruit course at Dip Flat the RNZAF Field training Facility; the guys in these pics joined the same year I did but these are OR's we followed on the IOTC (Initial Officer training course a few weeks later.
http://rnzaf.org.nz/Photos%20Dip%20Flat.htm
So not experiencing your own country is not exclusive to Americans
I realise this thread is about Americans, but this question reminded me of a post I held in the RNZAF, we used to take a large group of Air cadets into the South Island bush at the start of the year and a large number of them were from Auckland and yup the majority of them had never been outside the City limits! They flew south in a Herc, if you know them Hercules transport they don't exactly have picture windows to look out of and when they landed we put them in the back of troop transport Unimogs, again no windows then drove them out to the Base camp. When they climbed out at the destination they were somewhat dumbstruck by the Alpine scenery and when we told them they were going on an Alpine traverse man did they freak out lol.Changing direction radically again.
There is a commonly held view outside of the USA that Americans know little about the rest of the World and care even less. Personally I have met many Americans in my travels and that wasn't the case, but of course I am meeting Americans who are travelling, which by its very nature indicates some interest.
What do you guys think?
This link will show you an RNZAF recruit course at Dip Flat the RNZAF Field training Facility; the guys in these pics joined the same year I did but these are OR's we followed on the IOTC (Initial Officer training course a few weeks later.
http://rnzaf.org.nz/Photos%20Dip%20Flat.htm
So not experiencing your own country is not exclusive to Americans
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neverfoundthetime
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...see any Orks on your trip.... or pick up any bad Hobitts?the guys in these pics joined the same year I did but these are OR's we followed on the IOTC (Initial Officer training course a few weeks later.
neverfoundthetime wrote:
Chris- I think the Ents had stomped out most of them before they got there! :silly:
Speaking of, anyone know the status of the new Hobbitt movies after they lost their original director?
...see any Orks on your trip.... or pick up any bad Hobitts?the guys in these pics joined the same year I did but these are OR's we followed on the IOTC (Initial Officer training course a few weeks later.
Chris- I think the Ents had stomped out most of them before they got there! :silly:
Speaking of, anyone know the status of the new Hobbitt movies after they lost their original director?
I'm not going to dwell on the aspect of "Sports" in schools except to say that "Physical Activity" used to be, in my day (graduated High School in 1975) part of the curriculum. Seems to be missing nowadays. Even in Day Care, the kids have "Play Time" which is just more or less turning them loose on the various apparatus in a playground. We had PE (Physical Education or 'Gym Class') and this was a separate activity from what we referred to as "Sports" or Competitive Sports" which were either before or after school (outside of normal classroom time) activities. Perhaps we need separate the two.
A recent 'study' showed our children, especially the teenagers, spend even more time "In Front of a Screen" than ever before. That study did not include cell phone/texting time into account. Shame really, I can remember my Mom throwing the two of us (My younger Brother and I) outside. Of course, I was raised 'out in the country' so we had no real fear of some jerk passing by and abducting us. Add the fact that the neighborhood I grew up in was the same, we all knew each other, all the parents knew all the other parents and all the other kids. It wasn't unusual for the bus ride home to consist of where we were going to meet up and play ball that day. We had no X-Box or internet or cell phones. Color TV was only in a few homes and even then the TV set was a huge 19 inch or so.
Sunday night was 'Disney" night, post "Football" time, usually shared by the adults getting together and popping a few tops and watching the game, when it was available. Neighbors helped neighbors, if the neighbor three doors down had a barn that needed repairs, it was the norm to see three or four men doing the work and their wife's in the kitchen preparing a meal and one of them every so often taking Iced Tea (Usually Southern Style Sweet Lipton Tea in a huge glass) out to the men. The kids were expected to either be running around outside playing and more than ready to run to a command for "Hey Wiley! Bring me that hammer Joe dropped". The young girls were usually part of the romp and stomp, the older ones would be inside helping (and learning from) the Mothers.
My kids grew up partly in the city, the eldest was 11 when we moved to Katy, the youngest was 8. They resisted the move from the lifestyle they had grown up with for a while, then, as kids do, they adjusted. One of the problems with living "Out in the Country" is the sparse population, it's hard for youngsters to easily find freinds located near enough to associate with. I can also remember as our kids grew up and the area we lived in 'moved on' there were few kids that were our kids age. I made many a drive, as did the wife, taking the kids to playmates homes. When and where we moved to did not have that problem, most of the kids in the neighborhood were close to the same age and had siblings. Don't know if that was a good or bad thing, probably a bit of both.
Now, all these years later, our kids have kids of their own. Perhaps because their early youth was spent "Out in the Country" or perhaps their teenage years in a subdivision where the property lines extended only a few feet beyond the house edge, they both have made a choice to live in a small town. Not so much "Country" not so much "City". They live only a few miles from Denton, a college town with two distinct Universities and a population of over 120,000. Yet they live in a town of around 4,500.
So, the 'games' we grew up have become 'games' played on the television. Instead of walking next door or riding a bicycle to see if our freinds can 'play', we text them. Instead of Dad teaching us how to build a bird house, we just order one off the net. We didn't have that, the technology wasn't there. The idealism we grew up with, Mom raised the kids and took care of the house while Dad worked, is a thing of the past. Technology has changed and flourished, maybe it's a good thing, and undoubtedly it is in part, perhaps some of it not so good.
A recent 'study' showed our children, especially the teenagers, spend even more time "In Front of a Screen" than ever before. That study did not include cell phone/texting time into account. Shame really, I can remember my Mom throwing the two of us (My younger Brother and I) outside. Of course, I was raised 'out in the country' so we had no real fear of some jerk passing by and abducting us. Add the fact that the neighborhood I grew up in was the same, we all knew each other, all the parents knew all the other parents and all the other kids. It wasn't unusual for the bus ride home to consist of where we were going to meet up and play ball that day. We had no X-Box or internet or cell phones. Color TV was only in a few homes and even then the TV set was a huge 19 inch or so.
Sunday night was 'Disney" night, post "Football" time, usually shared by the adults getting together and popping a few tops and watching the game, when it was available. Neighbors helped neighbors, if the neighbor three doors down had a barn that needed repairs, it was the norm to see three or four men doing the work and their wife's in the kitchen preparing a meal and one of them every so often taking Iced Tea (Usually Southern Style Sweet Lipton Tea in a huge glass) out to the men. The kids were expected to either be running around outside playing and more than ready to run to a command for "Hey Wiley! Bring me that hammer Joe dropped". The young girls were usually part of the romp and stomp, the older ones would be inside helping (and learning from) the Mothers.
My kids grew up partly in the city, the eldest was 11 when we moved to Katy, the youngest was 8. They resisted the move from the lifestyle they had grown up with for a while, then, as kids do, they adjusted. One of the problems with living "Out in the Country" is the sparse population, it's hard for youngsters to easily find freinds located near enough to associate with. I can also remember as our kids grew up and the area we lived in 'moved on' there were few kids that were our kids age. I made many a drive, as did the wife, taking the kids to playmates homes. When and where we moved to did not have that problem, most of the kids in the neighborhood were close to the same age and had siblings. Don't know if that was a good or bad thing, probably a bit of both.
Now, all these years later, our kids have kids of their own. Perhaps because their early youth was spent "Out in the Country" or perhaps their teenage years in a subdivision where the property lines extended only a few feet beyond the house edge, they both have made a choice to live in a small town. Not so much "Country" not so much "City". They live only a few miles from Denton, a college town with two distinct Universities and a population of over 120,000. Yet they live in a town of around 4,500.
So, the 'games' we grew up have become 'games' played on the television. Instead of walking next door or riding a bicycle to see if our freinds can 'play', we text them. Instead of Dad teaching us how to build a bird house, we just order one off the net. We didn't have that, the technology wasn't there. The idealism we grew up with, Mom raised the kids and took care of the house while Dad worked, is a thing of the past. Technology has changed and flourished, maybe it's a good thing, and undoubtedly it is in part, perhaps some of it not so good.
neverfoundthetime wrote:
They are all North Island dwellers. The Hobbit movie is being directed by Peter Jackson himself, if they can sort out the Aussie actors union crap now going on, if they can't they are going to film elsewhere....see any Orks on your trip.... or pick up any bad Hobitts?the guys in these pics joined the same year I did but these are OR's we followed on the IOTC (Initial Officer training course a few weeks later.
When it comes to food, when I think Canada I think maple syrup. England I think fish and chips. Italy I think pizza. Australia I think meat pies. New Zealand I think of men doing strange things with sheep..but that's quite disturbing so I push those thoughts away.
When I think USA I think hot dogs. Does the US have a "national dish"?
When I think USA I think hot dogs. Does the US have a "national dish"?
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Music Junkie
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tovo wrote:
J
IMO Tony, that all depends are where you are in the US. Here where I live, BBQ is fairly popular. We have a mild climate and it is comfortable year round for outdoor gatherings. Lots of places in the south are famous for their BBQ as well. Kansas City comes to mind. Steak (prepared in all sorts of ways) is very popular in parts as well.When it comes to food, when I think Canada I think maple syrup. England I think fish and chips. Italy I think pizza. Australia I think meat pies. New Zealand I think of men doing strange things with sheep..but that's quite disturbing so I push those thoughts away.
When I think USA I think hot dogs. Does the US have a "national dish"?
J
