The US / British thread, for those born there, have lived there or do live there.

Adrian if/when you decide to do Oklahoma, contact me. It's my home state, and I now live aprox. 5 miles over the line. I will show you a good time.

So I know this doesn't 100% fit, but I am working on a capacity planning model for service technicians in France and the US...

In the US we say an average work year for a tech is 2000 hours. ( 50 weeks x 40 hours a week)... In France they go by 1600 hours... There did the other 400 hours go... Vacation.

My UK friends always were jamming their long vacations in my face. 27 days to start at my old company... Ohh I wish i had that...

Jay wrote: Sorry, this post has been pretty incoherent and rambling. I don't know where I was going with it anymore and I have to go to bed soon. I guess my point is everywhere has problems - it's just a matter of deciding which ones you want to overlook and which are inexcusable - and almost everywhere has something awesome about it that you won't find anywhere else. Get out and explore!

Nah, not incoherent. Great post. One planet=one people, baby! You're the future.

Pix of the Lotus meet? Start a beauty thread or something..

ignorant wrote: So I know this doesn't 100% fit, but I am working on a capacity planning model for service technicians in France and the US... In the US we say an average work year for a tech is 2000 hours. ( 50 weeks x 40 hours a week)... In France they go by 1600 hours... There did the other 400 hours go... Vacation. My UK friends always were jamming their long vacations in my face. 27 days to start at my old company... Ohh I wish i had that...

Very true. The French unions were trying to get a government mandated 27 hour work week pushed through a few years ago, but it failed.

My basic work structure when in the UK was a 37 hour work week with anything over that as paid O.T. I got 5 weeks vacation per year from day one with the company and also the public holidays (7 from memory), but that's it, you never get a day more. Also the time between Xmas and new year had to come from your vacation time.

Now over here in the US I started as a contractor in 94 so I had zero paid time off but I could take as much as my boss would allow. By the time I got my green card and got hired direct I got 2 weeks my first year, plus the time between Xmas and the new year, so call that three weeks, plus the public holidays (11). I could also purchase up to two additional weeks with the agreement of my boss. The next year I got three weeks.

Now at Ford I still get basically the same deal, three weeks plus holidays (again 11 this year) plus I purchase a week, so that's effectively the same 5 weeks plus holidays I had in the UK. Now next year I get an extra week off, that's 4 weeks, plus X mas week and the holidays. If I purchase a week next year as well I'll be better off than I was in the UK.

The other difference is the basic work week is 40 not 37 hours, but I also don't get OT and a really week is normally 45 to 50 hours.

I know I'm lucky and it's one of the reasons I'm happy to be in the auto industry and don't plan on moving.

Jay wrote: Can you send me the link? I've been trying to conjure up that authentic British curry house experience in my kitchen for some time.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Vindaloo-107088 Ingredients
3 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped seeded tomatoes (about 4 medium)
2 1/2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon garam masala*
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon (or more) cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth or water
print a shopping list for this recipe

*A spice mixture available at Indian markets, some specialty foods stores, and many supermarkets. To substitute, mix 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; use 1 teaspoon of mixture.

My notes, doubling the spice as noted works well for me, not for the uninitiated. Also the vinegar seems really important, makes a big impact on the flavor.

I would be a happy man if the US could adopt the Mediterranean (European?) idea of a siesta. I love me a nap in the middle of the day.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: My notes, doubling the spice as noted works well for me, not for the uninitiated. Also the vinegar seems really important, makes a big impact on the flavor.

Yeah - a quarter teaspoon of Cayenne wouldn't give much kick to a Vindaloo, but Epicurious rocks. I must cook half our meals with recipes from there.

By the way Adrian, under your definition of states visited I'm not at 50 - more like 46. I had to do something in the state for it to count - have dinner, use a restroom - but I wasn't as strict as having to stay overnight.

Also - like your avatar. I was at college with two of Brian Trueman's sons (Dangermouse creator), but that was a long time ago.

4eyes wrote: Adrian if/when you decide to do Oklahoma, contact me. It's my home state, and I now live aprox. 5 miles over the line. I will show you a good time.

I hope this doesn't involve sheep.

In reply to spitfirebill: Nah, that would be the Dakotas

They certainly know how to have a good time over there.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1266298/Woman-person-banned-EVERY-pub-club-country.html

A woman has become the first person to be banned from buying or drinking alcohol anywhere in England and Wales. Laura Hall, 20, was issued with a Drinking Banning Order - nicknamed Booze Asbos - which bars her from entering any pub, club, off-licence or bar. The two-year order also bans Hall from buying alcohol at any other establishment or shop, carrying it in an unsealed container or drinking it in a public place.

Police applied to magistrates after Hall was convicted of breaching an Asbo imposed for drink-related anti-social behaviour.

She has been convicted of a series of public order offences, and had flouted bans from pubs and clubs through local Pub-Watch schemes in her home town of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. Kidderminster Magistrates' Court heard yesterday that Hall faces a £2,500 fine if she breaks the conditions of the order. Sergeant David Roberts, of West Mercia Police, said: 'There have been some Drinking Banning Orders issued already but this is the first to be issued on a nationwide basis. 'It bans Laura Hall from drinking or buying alcohol in any licensed premises across England and Wales. The conditions will also help to protect the public from the anti-social effects of Laura's behaviour.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1266298/Woman-person-banned-EVERY-pub-club-country.html#ixzz0lHH6wbLQ

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1266298/Woman-person-banned-EVERY-pub-club-country.html#ixzz0lHGyJnM4

In reply to Wally:

England & Wales, eh? I suspect she'll be on the train to Scotland very soon...