Little Eye On The Crazy World Of Foreigners

[Mr Larrington]

When I was a tiny Mr Larrington we had a maths teacher who, having spent WW2 guarding tins of Spam at RAF Carnaby, considered himself the world's greatest expert on matters pertaining to military aviation.  One day he averred that "RAF pilots who eject twice are automatically grounded".  Young Nigel sticks his paw up.  "Please Sir, my Dad's ejected three times* and he's still flying!"

* once from a Jet Provost and twice from Jaguars

Bill Langworthy. I knew his brother, Dick, during the Falklands punch-up. He managed to bounce the one and only remaining Chinook (BN) off the sea one night and got away with it!

Aye, that's the chap.  All three of his sons were contemporaries of mine at st custards.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Prodigal sheep returns after seven years in Tasmania
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/apr/16/prickles-the-sheep-home-at-last-after-fleeing-2013-tasmanian-bushfires

[spesh]

Cross-posting from the moronic motorists thread - California Man tells Florida Man: "Hold my beer and watch this!"

Why crash just your own car into a house when you can crash the resident's car as well?

https://www.thedrive.com/news/33047/impaired-ford-mustang-driver-smashes-house-twice-with-two-cars-in-legendary-crime-spree

[spesh]

Spare a thought for all the Saff Effrikaan home bakers wondering where all the yeast and sugar had gone...

https://twitter.com/BrentLindeque/status/1251916285476102145

[Thor]

How not to address the coronavirus crisis.

Outcry as Spanish beach sprayed with bleach

Fumigating beaches in the middle of the breeding season for birds ... is not one of Trump's ideas. It is happening in Zahara de los Atunes

I've been to that area.  It's lovely. At least it was 

[ElyDave]

Spare a thought for all the Saff Effrikaan home bakers wondering where all the yeast and sugar had gone...

https://twitter.com/BrentLindeque/status/1251916285476102145

According to my parents that's also how it was sold/displayed in Saudi where the expats lived

[Moleman76]

"Georgia Man" changes rules on new driving licenses:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/30/us/georgia-drivers-license-road-test-trnd/index.html

In USAnia, driver's licenses are sort of like the 2nd amendment "right" to have fire arms.

I live at the diagonally opposite corner of the nation.  I will drive with care when I see a car with a Georgia license plate.

[Andrij]

[Cudzoziemiec]

"Georgia Man" changes rules on new driving licenses:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/30/us/georgia-drivers-license-road-test-trnd/index.html

In USAnia, driver's licenses are sort of like the 2nd amendment "right" to have fire arms.

I live at the diagonally opposite corner of the nation.  I will drive with care when I see a car with a Georgia license plate.

A bit more than 10 years ago, Indian driving licences became recognized in the USA. This makes Georgia's decision almost sensible in comparison.

[Giraffe]

"Indian driving"=oxymoron.

[rogerzilla]

In one of the Middle Eastern states you have to drive the car forwards ten yards and reverse it ten yards, or something like that.  Then you get your licence.

[Mr Larrington]

"Georgia Man" changes rules on new driving licenses:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/30/us/georgia-drivers-license-road-test-trnd/index.html

In USAnia, driver's licenses are sort of like the 2nd amendment "right" to have fire arms.

I live at the diagonally opposite corner of the nation.  I will drive with care when I see a car with a Georgia license plate.

A few years ago my holibob rental motor-car (the Ratmobile) was registered in Georgia*.  That would explain certain things.

* or possibly not, as the tags expired ten days into a thirty day rental.

[spesh]

How to get the social distancing message across (and raise funds for Democratic Party candidates), Florida-style...

https://twitter.com/AdamParkhomenko/status/1256287520775639041 

[Basil]

Love that.

[ian]

"Georgia Man" changes rules on new driving licenses:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/30/us/georgia-drivers-license-road-test-trnd/index.html

In USAnia, driver's licenses are sort of like the 2nd amendment "right" to have fire arms.

I live at the diagonally opposite corner of the nation.  I will drive with care when I see a car with a Georgia license plate.

A bit more than 10 years ago, Indian driving licences became recognized in the USA. This makes Georgia's decision almost sensible in comparison.

There are lots of scams like this (or at least they were). Americans are very dependent on driver's licenses (they're the default form of ID, you can't do anything without them*, though you can get equivalent state IDs) and it's a country where outside of a few major cities you have to drive. It's the key to independance for any kid too, otherwise it's the schoolbus shame.

I passed my test in the US after about six 'lessons' driving around the Caldor parking lot. Don't worry, I never passed a UK test and I'm sure my US licence has long since expired.
*a lack of ID and not having to show it everywhere is another something that Americans don't understand.

[PeteB99]

It was only after he died that we found out my father had never passed a UK driving test. He'd somehow acquired an Australian license and then transferred it.

My uncle on the other hand did do a UK driving test, it was during his army basic training and he did it on a bren carrier

[ian]

Sadly (or luckily for everyone else on the road) a US licence only lasts for 12 months in the UK...

I've no idea what people do in the bazillion lessons it takes to pass a UK test. Admittedly I only learned in an automatic, but go round corners, park, reverse, erm, that's about it. I read a book about road signs (in the US they vary by state, town, country etc., hence the endless quandary about turning on red) and rules (in most states exchanging gunfire with 'peace' officers is frowned upon*) so I could pass the theory multiple-choice. I passed first time though you could go back and try again after a two-week 'waiting period.' They've probably tightened things up a bit. That said, it is traditional for American kids to still learn to drive at school.

*in one recent (well 2012) case in Ohio, a backfiring car outside the courthouse led to a 62 car police chase (real life, not Blue Brothers) and the police, on finally cornering the perpetrators in a school parking lot, shot the car 137 times, one single police officer fired 49 rounds. The two people in the car were shot 23 and 24 times each. They'd committed no crime other than drive away from the scene of committing no crime. It goes without saying that no firearm – despite being 'seen' – was never found and the police officers mostly got away it, the two main officers involved eventually get fired. I don't think you need my help to guess the skin colour of the people in the car.

[Cudzoziemiec]

My grandfather managed to get one of the last UK driving licenses dispensed before they introduced tests in 1935. He drove for the next 60-odd years. Mind you, I remember him having at least two Austin Allegros, so the number of miles covered might have struggled to make four figures.

[Basil]

My dad never took a driving test.  WWII service in North Africa seemed to be qualification enough.
After the war it was,
"Did you drive?"
"Yes."
"Ok.  Here's your licence."

[SteveC]

We have a family story that my godfather, who was a fighter pilot in the war, got some unexpected leave, so bought a driving licence in the post office, hired a car, then drove from somewhere near London back to Leicester. He'd never driven before, but reckoned it wouldn't be much different from flying. Apparently once he stopped trying to get the car to take off, he was fine.
I should point out that my father told me this story a long time ago and I have no evidence for any of it!

[chrisbainbridge]

My father also never sat a test.  The driving test was suspended in WWII.  If you had to drive in the war then you automatically got your licence apparently.

he was very proud of his driving record and his original licence.

[tatanab]

Sadly (or luckily for everyone else on the road) a US licence only lasts for 12 months in the UK.

When I moved to the USA, Washington State, as a resident I did not know how long my UK licence would remain valid, so I took  my test about a week after a massive drop of snow.  A couple of years later I moved to California and had to take a local test. I think you have 10 days to do that before your out of state licence becomes invalid.  I only had to take the theory part, but I was lucky to pass since many of my questions were about things I'd glossed over in the manual because they do not concern me, such as "what is the alcohol limit for an under 21".  Along the same lines, I went to a branch of my WA bank only to be told that I could not deposit money with them since my account was out of state.  I quickly came to the conclusion that there is nothing much united about the United States.  I've been back in the UK 20 years.

[ian]

Sadly (or luckily for everyone else on the road) a US licence only lasts for 12 months in the UK.

When I moved to the USA, Washington State, as a resident I did not know how long my UK licence would remain valid, so I took  my test about a week after a massive drop of snow.  A couple of years later I moved to California and had to take a local test. I think you have 10 days to do that before your out of state licence becomes invalid.  I only had to take the theory part, but I was lucky to pass since many of my questions were about things I'd glossed over in the manual because they do not concern me, such as "what is the alcohol limit for an under 21".  Along the same lines, I went to a branch of my WA bank only to be told that I could not deposit money with them since my account was out of state.  I quickly came to the conclusion that there is nothing much united about the United States.  I've been back in the UK 20 years.

Virginia didn't ask for anything other proof of residency, a social security number, and some money to transfer my CT licence, but that's officially the South.

Inter-state banking still has some lingering oddities, but that's because there was no inter-state banking till the late 70s (hence there's still a number of 'local' banks, or what were local banks). Even in the late 90s/early 2000, there was no guarantee any given ATM would actually give me money from my account. Hence the persistence of the checkbook [sic, pedants, sic] into the modern age

[quixoticgeek]

This Unit managed to pass through Dawson City last year without succumbing to the Sourtoe business, because alcohol 

Shirley, there should a designated driver toe opportunity. It's only fair.

There is...

https://youtu.be/kHMNX3IXnvs

J

[quixoticgeek]

When I moved to the USA, Washington State, as a resident I did not know how long my UK licence would remain valid, so I took  my test about a week after a massive drop of snow.  A couple of years later I moved to California and had to take a local test. I think you have 10 days to do that before your out of state licence becomes invalid.  I only had to take the theory part, but I was lucky to pass since many of my questions were about things I'd glossed over in the manual because they do not concern me, such as "what is the alcohol limit for an under 21".  Along the same lines, I went to a branch of my WA bank only to be told that I could not deposit money with them since my account was out of state.  I quickly came to the conclusion that there is nothing much united about the United States.  I've been back in the UK 20 years.

I swapped my UK license for a Dutch one shortly before March last year. So I can still drive in Europe. If I ever move back to .UK, I dunno if I can get my license back, or what validity my Dutch license will have.

When i first moved here many many years ago, I tried to open a personal bank account, but couldn't as they required 2 photo ID's, but would not accept a UK driving license as one of them, meaning all I had was a passport. In the end I got a business account by registering as a free trade...

J