Author Topic: Here's something you Yanks should understand  (Read 4058 times)

Offline GrimCO

  • Nickel Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 721
      • http://www.GrimsReapers.com
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #30 on: May 12, 2003, 08:54:09 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Swoop
Oh and you do know the Statue of Liberty was a French gift, right?  You often in the habit of accepting gifts from the French?  You gonna give it back now cos it's French?


Hey there Swoop ,

We accepted the gift a LONG time ago. Back when the French government actually seemed reasonable...  The thing didn't just arrive yesterday ya know. If it had, I'm sure the French would have replaced the torch with a giant hand extending the middle finger and flipping us the bird. Seems they don't like us much these days... hehehe  :rolleyes:

Offline Rude

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 4609
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #31 on: May 12, 2003, 09:03:22 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Dowding
Lame, lame, lame. He didn't say the UK built the Concorde alone at all. He was talking about the thinking behind it, and how similar it is to many American projects. He didn't tie in any arguments about sole ownership of the Concorde concept at all.


I thought we abandoned our efforts regarding a SST due to no profitability.

The many American projects you refer to in camparison to the SST...examples of the many please?

Offline Dowding

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 6867
      • http://www.psys07629.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/272/index.html
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #32 on: May 12, 2003, 09:07:14 AM »
The whole space race for starters. You've got a plethora of examples right there spanning decades, as someone already pointed out. It was done because of national prestige more than anything else and was hugely expensive.
War! Never been so much fun. War! Never been so much fun! Go to your brother, Kill him with your gun, Leave him lying in his uniform, Dying in the sun.

Offline straffo

  • Persona Non Grata
  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 10029
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #33 on: May 12, 2003, 09:08:02 AM »
Many I don't know but at least one :
http://www.the-sst.com/aircraft/b2707/

Offline Curval

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 11572
      • http://n/a
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #34 on: May 12, 2003, 09:08:15 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by GrimCO
We accepted the gift a LONG time ago. Back when the French government actually seemed reasonable...  The thing didn't just arrive yesterday ya know. If it had, I'm sure the French would have replaced the torch with a giant hand extending the middle finger and flipping us the bird. Seems they don't like us much these days... hehehe  :rolleyes:


You guys accepted another gift...at Yorktown, during your War of Independence against Britain.  If my history teacher was correct it had something to do with a fleet of French warships that prevented Cornwallis from getting reinforcements or to escape to fight on.
Some will fall in love with life and drink it from a fountain that is pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain

Offline Dowding

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 6867
      • http://www.psys07629.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/272/index.html
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #35 on: May 12, 2003, 09:10:38 AM »
The French government in the dying days of its monarchy was far from reasonable.
War! Never been so much fun. War! Never been so much fun! Go to your brother, Kill him with your gun, Leave him lying in his uniform, Dying in the sun.

Offline Batz

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3470
      • http://bellsouthpwp.net/w/o/wotans/4JG53/
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #36 on: May 12, 2003, 09:11:56 AM »
The statue of of liberty was second hand scrap by the time it got put up in New York. It wasnt particularly liked or wanted. It happened to be up during a time of massive immigration of Eastern Europeans and Italians and as such it became a symbol to them. But at the time folks thought it was stupid.

Much like this thread........


Quote
I mean I'm proud of my country's achievements. Aren't you proud of yours? My point exactly.


It doesnt seem like its much be proud of but I guess you gotta take what you can get.

Whats next "My Chunnel is longer then yours....."?

Offline Saurdaukar

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 8610
      • Army of Muppets
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #37 on: May 12, 2003, 09:18:48 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Curval
A huge regret of mine is that I didn't get a chance to have a ride on one of those beautiful machines.


Right now my only regret is clicking on this pointless thread.

Offline straffo

  • Persona Non Grata
  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 10029
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #38 on: May 12, 2003, 09:20:39 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Dowding
The French government in the dying days of its monarchy was far from reasonable.


hu ?

It was the 3rd republic since september 1870  ;)

Offline Dowding

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 6867
      • http://www.psys07629.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/272/index.html
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #39 on: May 12, 2003, 09:24:33 AM »
Doh! I had my wires crossed. I was thinking about the War of Independence support.

BTW, how many Napoleons were there? Was there an Emperor of that name in the 1860s?
War! Never been so much fun. War! Never been so much fun! Go to your brother, Kill him with your gun, Leave him lying in his uniform, Dying in the sun.

Offline straffo

  • Persona Non Grata
  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 10029
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #40 on: May 12, 2003, 09:27:54 AM »
There were 3 Napoléons : the one you fought (the 1st) , his son also called "l'aiglon"  and a distant usurpator/dictator who took the name Napoléon III(*) after betraying the people who elected him ...

(*) also called "badinguet" by his most famous opposant  Victor Hugo.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2003, 09:30:28 AM by straffo »

Offline midnight Target

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 15114
Re: Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #41 on: May 12, 2003, 09:31:12 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Swoop
Sometimes you just gotta say....


"Hang the expense, we're doing it anyway.  

Dont give a crap that it only give's 6 mpg / fires 10 times before needing a barrel change / gotta change the pistons every 50 miles / gotta rebuild the thing after every trip / wont make any money cos build costs are too high / dev costs too high / it's just plain stoopid.  

And the reason we're doing it is cos it'll be the biggest, baddest and coolest thing around even if it wont make any money, we dont give a crap.

And we're gonna be proud of it too, not only cos it's the best but because we built it.  

And anyone who wants to slag it off cos it won't make any money can go screw themselves, we dont care cos we've already GOT lots of money thanks.  We did it cos it needed doing and because we could.  If johnny-foreigner thinks he can do better then he's welcome to go ahead and try......."


Now think about it for a second and ask yourself if you havn't thought the same way about something wholly American.



Nah! Never happen....

Offline AKIron

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 12797
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #42 on: May 12, 2003, 09:32:25 AM »
Swoop, you do realize that us yanks do have a few of  those "damn the expense we're gonna build it" irons in the fire. We just keep some of 'em hidden 'cause we don't want everyone copying them.
Here we put salt on Margaritas, not sidewalks.

Offline straffo

  • Persona Non Grata
  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 10029
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #43 on: May 12, 2003, 09:35:15 AM »
a bit of Hugo opinion of Napoléon III :

 
Quote
"Bonaparte sera empereur, soit, mais il ne sera jamais que le tyran pygmée d'un grand peuple. Dictateur, il est bouffon. Qu'il se fasse empereur, il sera grotesque."


translated (fast and badly) it give :

Quote
Bonaparte will be an emperor,right, but he will be never anything but a Pygmy tyrant  of a great people.  Dictator, he is a buffoon.  Made emperor, it will be grotesque.

Offline Wlfgng

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 5252
      • http://www.nick-tucker.com
Here's something you Yanks should understand
« Reply #44 on: May 12, 2003, 09:37:01 AM »
damnit.. some of 'secrets' are leaking out...

(runs to camo the jeep)