You asked for it! So I'm starting it!

Ok, I'll bite.

Being in the southern hemisphere is it true that Coriolis forces cause your toilets to flush clockwise instead of counterclockwise here in the north?

Did Oz ever have a Mods/Rockers youth culture like Britain in the 60s/70s?

I've read that down under they are experimenting with internet censorship by blacklisting certain websites. What's your take on how that is working?

What is the general consensus on P2P and filesharing there? Are your politicians in the pocket of the entertainment industry like in the US (DMCA), France (Hadopi) and Sweden (TPB Spectrial) ?

Yes the Coriolis effect does induce a clockwise swirl when the water goes down the drain.

Yes Oz did have its share of Mods and Rockers as Australia was very influenced by British culture of the time. Naturally our versions were interpretations of what information could be gleaned from magazines, and returning ex-pats.

Yes the left wing socialist government is going at it hammer and sickle to ensure only the party approved misinformation will be available. Fortunately it is only in planning committee stage so far and it won't be implemented till after the next election unless there is regime change...

90% of gen Iwantitnow! are in favour of free P2P. As for the rest of Oz we're too busy trying to make ends meet and work out how not to get caught up in facebook games, to be concerned too much. However you do pay a levy when you go to the Gym if you want to listen to music...

Cool. Thx.

(Remember Farmville is to women as catnip is to cats.)

Not. Harrumph. CR4 is my catnip.

My wife and I once adopted a stray Cymric. This cat had the most sparkling (= mischievous) personality. She once took a sip of Green Chartreuse...and then she took another sip! That just blew us away.

Better yet, chocolate. And better even yet, Cabernet. Next level up, Green Chartreuse.

And then there's Jagermeister (= brown Chartreuse).

Hurrumph again. CR4 and TM. Ain't got time for fantasy society building - too busy living it in the real world. _{Did she just imply CR4 is real world?!}

Cats are my catnip...<stroke, rub, cuddle Del>

Coriolis does ever so slightly tend to induce a clockwise swirl. The reality however is that any small physical imbalance can easily overcome this initial tendency and in reality, there is not noticeable bias.

The real role of Coriolis I would submit, is in large scale phenomena like wind patterns.

For those who don't know, it is the resultant lateral acceleration on a particle as it moves radially outward on a "rotating disc" (because this causes its lateral velocity to increase) - which is why Coriolis is important in going part of the way from the equator to the North/South Pole, but is not important in going from one side to the other of the drain hole in a bath.

"Being in the southern hemisphere is it true that Coriolis forces cause your toilets to flush clockwise instead of counterclockwise here in the north?"

I can assure you that we in the southern hemisphere (SA and OZ) are designing our toilets to supply water in equal amounts in both directions to ensure a perfect flush of the sides of the bowl (to remove skid marks).

Rotation in any direction would be incidental.

A drain in a shallow symmetric body of water will however display a tendency to rotate in a certain direction under the (tiny) force of Coriolis but can be forced in the other direction with an obstruction.

Being in the southern hemisphere is it true that Coriolis forces cause your toilets to flush clockwise instead of counterclockwise here in the north?

This is misunderstanding. I can show you the draining water flush against your expectation.

But you know the crippers in north hemisphere go up the support in anticlockwise diection, when seen from top. I do not know about south. Any explanation?

I start with all kind of taxes. As a native European tradesman you deal with VAT, and income taxes, besides a lot of "various" taxes. In the country I lived one year the VAT inspection comes around to check the company books, and the other year the Income Taxes man. Both need to find the same numbers and one can start a fine cycle, due to his own findings or based on what the other found. For a small entrepreneur it is like an annual exam that causes some stress and only has a fine system for a job not well done. In the last 8 years, doing business in the US, I never had a tax inspection. Are the US entrepreneurs supposedly more honorable than in Europe? Or have I been neglected in the US of A by Uncle Sam?

Don't worry, they'll find you. Thousands of new agents are being hired as we speak.

In the US, they will give you enough rope to hang yourself. Finding your mistakes years in the future leads to far more money in fines, interest and penalties.

I wouldn't recommend giving them a reason to notify you.

Why oh why oh why do Americans feel the need to spell out abbreviations? I see "emcee" written out instead of MC. WHY??? It's longer, removes the inherent meaning of the word and causes confusion, IMHO lots of confusion in non-native speakers.

So tell me, you from the youess of ehy, why?!!

And then please stop it. Please....

Okay.

Where is Newcastle , Oz ,exactly? Sorry, i never was good at geography!

hahahahahah (laughs hysterically!)

thanks I needed that.. (the part I understood)

Lynda wants to know how you know what puma piss tastes like??

Very clever that one, isn't she? Its to do with imagination, lame, I know.

OK. I have a question about 'down under'.

Globes and maps... is North towards the top... always? All the globe manufacturer sites I could find indicate North Pole always on the top. Map printers seem to favor North on top, but some print South on top. Which do you prefer and use?

And the distribution and use of such maps; how about South America? Southern half of Africa? Antarctica? NZ?

There is a phenomena here in the U.S. to use Australia or Britain to enhance or lend credibility to the promotion of goods or services.

For example:

• Outback Steakhouse restaurant chain (headquartered in Florida) with commercials in (what I suspect, but would need testimony from a genuine native to confirm) phony Australian accents.
• Dyson vacuum cleaners.
• Various TV series (Usually medically oriented) with British main characters.

So my question: Do Americans lend credibility or enhancement to programs or products in other countries?

Do Americans lend credibility or enhancement to programs or products in other countries?

PMSL

I don't think Americans have any credibility to lend.

An indiscretion is when you get caught.

So what is discretionary spending for?

And "Viewer Discretion Is Advised" fairly often before you watch indiscretion in movies.

I'm confused.

(You asked for it! So I'm starting it!) I got it! now I'm enjoying it. Thanks to the Mods ad you for this thread. 1. Referring: (and items of cultural significance) , If I was born in Adelaide but have lived in Africa since I was two, are the b-stards here allowed to call me Aussie? 2. My old man remarried and I now have two (both are very good looking) New-Zealander step sisters in the family. Would this be considered a family scandal or a tragedy in OZ?. 3. Should I bet on OZ winning the rugby world cup next year?

When I was growing up I was always got excited when something was about to be tumped over. Wonder what the real origin of that is?

Why is the word "Bloody" considered vulgar? As in: "She'd be a bloody good root, but you can't approach her".(heard as a retort to a U.S. sailor who, while trying to start a fight in a New Zealand bar during WWII, uttered "F.... the Queen".)

Why is the name "Sheila" used to describe women?

Is Bruce a common name?

Why is the word "Bloody" considered vulgar?

I believe that the term originated with 'God's Blood' (olde englishe) in a reference to the blood of Jesus... and morphed into a more commonly used type of swearword. In many languages which have had a christian input, words which are religious in nature are often swear words... such as "Chalice" and "Tabernacle" in French are taboo.

in fact, I think the word Taboo may be related to to Tabernacle..... so you see how it goes... any use of these words in other than their proper use, was sacriligious... and therefore... have become swear words.

not sure... I think this is how it goes. I prefer &^%$* myself...

Chris

Thanks Chris,

Ever notice how many English phrases have their roots in nautical terms?

Being islanders and world conquerers, they spent a lot of time at sea, or on the way to their colonies by boat. Maybe where is heart.... the mouth.... They also had nothing else to measure with than thumb (inch) and foot. There were many size problems before with all not having the same size of these attributes.

Another version of "bloody", 'By my Lady". It, and 'God's Blood', are oaths, said to show astonishment or anger.

"Gor blimey" stems from 'God blind me', another oath.

I'm not going to get into Cockney rhyming slang, it would never end.

When I was young I played a lot of table tennis; I also had an American girlfriend for a while. I couldn't understand why she collapsed in fits of hysterics when I tried to explain that my bat had a different rubber on either side.