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Post by Panda on Jun 23, 2009 22:36:41 GMT 1
Have you ever been to the UK?
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Post by ukswings on Jun 24, 2009 0:58:39 GMT 1
Yes! I've spent some time in London - not enough - and visited York, Bath, and Chester.
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Post by PurpleCareBear on Jul 5, 2009 14:18:05 GMT 1
Do your kids looks more like you,or more like their Mom ?
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Post by ukswings on Jul 6, 2009 1:45:18 GMT 1
They look a bit like Faris Badwan.
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Post by PurpleCareBear on Jul 6, 2009 12:28:01 GMT 1
I’d never seen nor heard of Faris.I went to Google Image expecting to see a female !
Can you name 5 songs with the word ‘Smile’ in the title,and would you place them in order of preference ?
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Post by ukswings on Jul 6, 2009 13:53:34 GMT 1
5. Cockney Rebel - Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) 4. Flying Machine - Smile a Little Smile For Me 3. Texas - Inner Smile 2. The The - Uncertain Smile 1. Lily Allen - Smile
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Post by audiorebel on Jul 6, 2009 13:56:40 GMT 1
Hi there ! What in your opinion are the best & worst aspects of living in America ?
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Post by ukswings on Jul 6, 2009 19:26:57 GMT 1
H'lo, Audio!
That's a good - but involved - question.
Best -
Potential. America is like the Rorschach (from Watchmen) of countries : we're completely unpredictable in a lot of ways. You never quite know WHAT we'll do next. It comes from being young and in search of identity, I think - something we've never quite found. We keep THINKING we've found it, and then it all morphs into something else.
Diversity. We may not always be the land of the free, but there are few places in the world where, on a walk down a block, you can encounter influences and people from Albania to Zimbabwe. I can go across the street where I live in Virginia, for instance, and choose from Italian, Egyptian, Japanese, Chinese, or Mexican for a meal.
I LIKE being able to get Ethiopian Doro Wat at 2 in the morning if I want to.
Worst :
American "culture". Since we don't have a real national identity, we don't really have a culture.
Unless you count McDonalds and Wal-Mart. What little culture we have is corporate.
There has been, in recent years, a trend for the homogenization of America, not necessarily because that's what the people want, but because it makes money. A lot of the little mom 'n' pop places have been pushed aside because of that, which produces a country that's the opposite of what I described above. That's a bad thing.
American blindness. Unfortunately, a vast amount of the country is under the belief that we are the be-all and end-all of everything, and have no interest in the rest of the world. They've never realized that the world doesn't really care about them. They not only have never walked down the streets of Barcelona or Guatemala City or Kingston, they don't WANT to. They're content to stay in their own little isolated pocket of the world.
A good example of this is the typical American view of music. Americans reach a particular age - it's usually somewhere in their teens - and get "stuck" musically. If you grew up in the 1970s, for instance, then only Bruce Springsteen is any good - forget the fact that music has moved on and even paid tribute to that era through groups like the Hold Steady and Gaslight Anthem. They've never heard of those.
And don't get me started on those who are stuck in the 1980s.
American radio reflects this : there's limited amounts of new music offered on what passes for top 40 radio and urban stations, but the rest of the dial is "oldies" (the same songs from the 1960s and 1970s, repeated ad infinitum) and "classic rock" (they'll play Bruce, but only the OLD stuff). In the entire Washington, DC area, there is not one commercial station that plays anything but predictable, homogenized music.
This is why, when it comes to music, I'm of the firm belief that Britain is the much more progressive country.
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Paddy
Member
*Pick up a P..P...P.. Paddy*
Best newcomer 2009
Posts: 19,293
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Post by Paddy on Jul 6, 2009 20:06:47 GMT 1
On your radio station do you have a track you love to play each time you are on? Do you have an oldie that reappears or do you change like a track of the week?
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Post by PurpleCareBear on Jul 6, 2009 20:59:48 GMT 1
No sign of the Shanice classic - 'I Love Your Smile' What colour are your bedroom walls ?
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Post by ukswings on Jul 6, 2009 21:30:42 GMT 1
Hey, PCB - they're powder blue.
Hey, Paddy - I just added to your review of Maximo Park, 'cause I finally got around to listening to it!
Since I have only two hours a week, I try not to repeat too many tracks, there are always tons and tons of new things to play. That said, I have to admit to sneaking in some favorites more than a few times. Recently those have included :
Florence & the Machine - Dog Days Are Over Just Jack - Embers Kooks - Shine On Camera Obscura - French Navy Athlete - Hurricane
Plus a few more I can't recall.
It's a really good show - y'all should listen if you get a chance!
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Post by PurpleCareBear on Jul 7, 2009 14:09:02 GMT 1
Are you more likely to use a bicycle or a motorbike ?
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Post by PurpleCareBear on Jul 7, 2009 14:25:39 GMT 1
Have you ever been told that you look like someone famous ?
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Post by ukswings on Jul 7, 2009 20:21:53 GMT 1
Being a tall person, motorcycles (motorbikes) don't really work for me. It's the same with water-skiing; never could quite get the knack. Bicycles I've ridden, though, with some frequency.
I was once told I looked a bit like Paul Newman, but that was a looong time ago.
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Post by PurpleCareBear on Jul 8, 2009 0:37:52 GMT 1
*swoons at Ukswings once upon a time lookielikey-ness*
How many televisions in your house ?
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Post by ukswings on Jul 9, 2009 15:37:33 GMT 1
There are four televisions. A ridiculous number.
We've just finished going through the second season of Mad Men, which is an amazing show.
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Post by PurpleCareBear on Jul 9, 2009 16:34:33 GMT 1
I heard great things about Mad Men,but I couldn't get into it.It's very well acted,but after two or three episodes (of the first series),I gave up on it....but really felt like taking up smoking.
Have you ever been to an interent cafe,and have you ever used a webcam ?
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Post by ukswings on Jul 10, 2009 12:24:28 GMT 1
I thought the first season of Mad Men was good, but the second season was REALLY good. The last episode, dealing with the Cuban missile crisis, was one of the best pieces of television ever.
The last time I used an internet cafe, oddly enough, was in London a couple of years ago. It was near the Gloucester Road underground entrance.
I use a webcam all the time to talk to my son in Nevada.
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Post by PurpleCareBear on Aug 2, 2009 14:00:09 GMT 1
Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party ?
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Post by ukswings on Aug 3, 2009 1:47:15 GMT 1
Yeah, I had one for my (mumblety-mumph) birthday! The trouble is, my birthday is at the beginning of January, so AFTER Christmas, AFTER New Year's, no one is up for presents, partying, etc. That's why I've only had one surprise party in my (mumblety-mumph) years!
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