Although not technically free-of-charge (£110 annual licence fee) a day rarely goes by when I don't thank the God of TV & Radio that the BBC is advert-free. Well, they carry trailers for their own programs, but I can handle that. The ad-breaks on the commercial channels are usually around 2 mins, which isn't too much to bear either. What makes me laugh is when they show the 'follow-up' advert (v. short reminder of the main advert) straight after the main one. I've never seen repeats like you've mentioned. Perhaps they're just desparate for the revenue!
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Grand Duke
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Tue 16 Mar, 2004 11:05 am
19) American cars are 50ft long, have column-shift gears and 10 litre engines. Gas-guzzling monsters basically. Why?
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Setanta
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Tue 16 Mar, 2004 11:17 am
At one time, American sedans were quite large--they probably reached their peak in the early 1970's. The Arab oil embargo in 1973, however, forced the auto manufacturers to reduce the size of their products. In the last few years, however, the "SUV" (silly, useless vehicle) has become popular, and the sedans are creeping back up in size. Most have automatic transmissions, with the shift lever on the steering column, but it is my experience that standard transmissions most often have the gear **** lever on the floor. Back in the "old days," when most vehicles still had standard transmissions, there was a "three speed" (meaning three forward gears, and reverse) on the steering column, but this has disappeared. Many vehicles have four-cylinder engines, which often do not exceed 2 liters, and some aren't even that large. The standard these days is a six-cylinder engine, of about 3 to 4 litres. It's rather difficult for an old fart like me, as i learned all the grease monkey business i know in the pre-pollution control, pre-metric engine days. The big engines in those days were 427 c.i. (cubic inches--about 61 c.i. equals a liter), 440 c.i., 454 c.i. Those would be about 7 litres or a little more. I can't imagine that there was ever a passenger car engine of ten litres, unless it would be the very old 12-cylinder engines that some of the luxury cars of the 1930's had--and even in those cases, i doubt it. As to why? Because we could, because it was thought that what was good for the automotive industry was good for the nation, because big cars meant bigger orders from Detroit to the steel industry, because we're Americans, and if we could drive down the road in our living room sofa with the tv, the stereo and the microwave, we would.
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fishin
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Tue 16 Mar, 2004 11:38 am
Yup. Setanta covered it pretty well. I think the largest production engine of any quantity was the 500 c.i beast that was standard equipment in one of the older Cadillac models (circa 1972 or 1973).
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Walter Hinteler
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Tue 16 Mar, 2004 11:47 am
The biggest Mercedes engine was the "Großer Mercedes 770": 8 cylinder, 7.6 liter engine (built in the 30's) [the 'great (=großer) Führer' was driving it]
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Portal Star
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Tue 16 Mar, 2004 04:49 pm
fishin' wrote:
It's getting more and more frustrating Duke! The number of commercials has been slowly increasing all along. Most of the ads are at the breaks in between shows though. It's not uncommon to have 5 or 6 commercials in a row at the end of a program while waiting for the next program to begin. Sometimes they even muck it up enough that you get the exact same commercial 2 or 3 times in a row!
There are some channels that offer "uninterrupted viewing" though. Once a show starts they play it all the way through and then you get bombarded with 20 minutes of commercials at the end.
You think that's annoying, try going to see a movie. An $8 ticket, $4.00 for a small popcorn, $3.00 for a candy bar or soda. Then you get in the theatre and they play 20 minutes of ads before the show starts - they tell you it is 20 minutes because they have commercials for the ads in between the ads. I paid $20 bucks for the snacks of a friend and I, and $16 for tickets. That's $36 for you and a date @ three hours.
I stopped going to corporate movie theatres. [love to go to the locally owend Alamo Drafthouse here in Austin.] After getting slapped in the face and charged for it, what else can one do but boycott? Americans are too dependent on movies as a form of social entertainment.
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Piffka
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Tue 16 Mar, 2004 05:19 pm
I wonder if another reason Americans tend to have larger cars is many of us have to drive further for everything -- jobs, schools, stores... everything is further away than you might expect. As you know, there is extremely limited public transportation except in the very largest cities, buses just don't cut it -- they are twice as slow as private cars. A job commute of an hour each way isn't unusual, at least in the West. When you spend that much time in a car, you want to be more comfortable, which often equates to more room. (I drive a Swedish car and don't commute though, so I'm just on the sidelines kibbitzing.)
There is also a snowball effect... "if you have a large car, then I need a large car in case we're in an accident."
Btw -- many, maybe most American cars are automatics. "Three on the tree" is slang for a column shift, of which there are few (unless you include automatics, but I don't think you should). "Four on the floor" is slang for a floor shift... though "five on the floor" is probably more accurate anymore, it doesn't have the rhyme.
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oldandknew
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Tue 16 Mar, 2004 06:15 pm
Piffka ----- what you say carries a lot of logic and sence.
Large distance is a factor. Comfort and space is required. So is auto transmission
I've driven large American cars in the USA and loved 'em.
I need to change my car soon and I'm very temped to buy a Chevy or similar. It's cheaper to import an American car into the UK these days. I'll probably buy a used one and checking the ads on-line something like a Buick mid 90s model or even a Caddy is a bargain. It'll be a left hooker of course but that's no problem.
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dyslexia
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Tue 16 Mar, 2004 06:20 pm
many american cars now come with automatic transmission only, sometimes a manual transmission is special order-extra cost or just not available.
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Piffka
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Tue 16 Mar, 2004 06:58 pm
Left hooker? LOL
As an aside: Mr.P found it was hard to get used to driving on the right when driving a "right hooker" (I guess that's what you'd call 'em) BUT having the same gear formation that we have in the states. He thought if the gear shift were "reversed" (with the first gear closest to the driver and the fourth gear further away), it would have made it easier to adjust. When we went to the UK last time we just rented an automatic so he didn't have to hassle with it and we were all happier.
I learned how to drive on a manual transmission (good ol' VW bug) but I much prefer an automatic. Who wants to think that hard? I thought I did about ten years ago because dang they ARE so sporty, but I got flustered in an emergency freeway situation and nearly killed myself "slamming" my foot down on the clutch instead of the brake.
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Ceili
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Wed 17 Mar, 2004 12:24 am
Ah, memories........
My ex bought me a 1975 Ford Elite Thunderbird - 10 years ago. It was a pig. At the time gas $.38.9 per litre. It cost me $40 to fill it. I could drive back and forth from work exactly 4 times and then the pig was empty. It was rear wheel drive, which of course made sense, seeing as the biggest heaviest motor in the world was in the humungeous frontend. Black ice was an adventure waiting to happen, and it did - frequently.
I remember pulling up beside other vehicles, bumper to bumper, and being stunned at how far back I was sitting in comparison.
The drivers seat was further back than a whole chevette, same distance as the back wheel of a full size van. I got rid of this a few months after he 'gave' it to me, then the dumb f*** bought me a pinto.
I gave him and the car back soon after that.
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the prince
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Wed 17 Mar, 2004 02:15 am
Can I pop a question of my own here ??
Why is that when you fly to USA, you are allowed to check in two suitcases of 32kgs each, but when you fly anywhere else, you are just allowed 23 kgs of checked in luggage ?
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Walter Hinteler
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Wed 17 Mar, 2004 02:32 am
Obviously, airlines know that I don't have many clothes to change:
20 kgs for going to London, only 15khs from London to Manchester (which says something about the weight of the presents as well :wink: ).
Actually, Gautam, this has to do with the airline's "luggage policy":
in my case, AirBerlin is following most other European airlines, Eastern Airways -using a smaller plane and more a 'business airline'- follow another line.
In your case, e.g. BA/Virgin knew, that you had to carry a lot over the Great Pond .... and HM Customs & Excise just didn't want you to import too much :wink:
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Grand Duke
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Wed 17 Mar, 2004 03:51 am
I've always thought manual transmission (either column-shift or stick-shift) was better than automatic - it gives better performance in the lower gears, and it helps safer braking, expecially in the snow.
I was exagerating for comic effect with the 10L bit earlier. Many cars here are smaller than 2L.
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Grand Duke
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Fri 2 Apr, 2004 09:57 am
After a brief absence, I've got a couple more questions for my good friends across the Atlantic...
20) Is the speed-limit really 55mph? Why? That seems crazy what with all those monster cars and massive roads. We've got 70mph on motorways, and up to 60mph on regular roads & lanes. Usually 30mph in urban areas.
21) You can't buy a beer legally until you're 21. Why? It's only 18 yrs here and similar in mainland Europe as well (I believe).
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Linkat
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Fri 2 Apr, 2004 10:04 am
20) Speed limit varies by state. In most states on the motorways it is usually 65 or higher. In some more heavily populated areas even on the motorways it is 55mph.
In Montana on the motorways there is no speed limit during the day. At night there is because of the dangers of hitting animals. In many other states in the northwest where it is not as populated it is 70 mph. At least my experiences driving.
21) Again drinking age is set by each state. Many states are set at 21, I believe the reasoning is the dangers of drinking and driving. And the belief that the majority of drinking and driving instances are higher at the under 21 age.
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dyslexia
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Fri 2 Apr, 2004 10:07 am
out here in the west the major highway (Interstate system) has the normative speed limit of 75 mph with reductions in urban areas.
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ossobuco
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Fri 2 Apr, 2004 10:46 am
In California, a two lane road has a max 55 mph speed limit, a divided highway or four lane, is 65, and occasional highway segments have 70mph.
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Setanta
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Fri 2 Apr, 2004 10:56 am
Ohio's speed limit is 65 mph on most highways, 60 or 55 in many cities, and about 35 on most city streets. The highway limit in Michigan is 70 mph. When i go to Canada via Detroit, i find it hilarious as one reaches the northern part of Toledo, Ohio (the city, county and state lines coincide there, leave Toledo on the north and you're in Michigan), to see the local drivers in the know, who begin to ratchet up the speed from the city limit of 60 mph to the 75-80 mph one can get away with in Michigan (where the legal limit is 70mph).
Canada is even funnier. The putative speed limit is 100 kph (about 62 mph). In my experience, all Canadians speed, it is just a question of degree. For my own part, when i hit Ontario, i also run it up to between 75 mph and 80 mph, and cruise. Mostly, the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) will ignore you if you don't exceed 120 kph. I was once going west on the 401 in Ontario, headed for Windsor/Detroit, and was just outside of Kitchener. I was passing a vehicle, doing about 75 mph, and pulled back to the right. The vehicle behind me passed me, and pulled back to the right--i would say he was doing about 80 mph. The vehicle behind him passed him, and kept on trucking in the left lane, at, i would say 85 mph or more--she was OPP, doin' about 135-140 kph, and no sign of slowing down.
Damn Canajuns . . . ya gotta love 'em.
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Relative
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Fri 2 Apr, 2004 11:49 am
We have a speed limit of 15 kph in the bay, and 35 kph in the open.
Drinking&driving is prohibited, but it is advisable to have a bottle of JB under your life jacket, just in case they have to rescue you.
Of course, there is always the odd one stoned as a marble wall, going zig-zag in front of you, but fortunately the wave-blocks are quick to drown them on the spot.
There are also cases of dihydromonoxyde(DHMO) withdrawal syndrome, which happen from time to time; in this case the offending subject is removed from the driving range and dragged down to the watering hole tied by a rope to the vehicle. (By law, all drivers must be DHMO addicts, and under a heavy dose for that, otherwise they aren't allowed to drive.)
Most of the time, moderate speeding will be ignored, but once you're grossly over limit, everybody will cheer you and try to catch up with you, any particular way you might happen to be going.