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Author Topic: What seemed weird when I visited your country  (Read 95704 times)

ZoeB

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #300 on: 04 Feb 2014, 04:53 »

But there's never any real fuzz being made around the World Cup. Not in the scale of super bowl, that is.
YMMV


I guess you had to be there.

Looking back on it... a different world.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #301 on: 04 Feb 2014, 04:55 »

Thinking about it - the oddest, strangest and most weird country I've ever been to is.... the past.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #302 on: 04 Feb 2014, 05:00 »

How is it a World Series if only American teams are in it?
That's the better question (with the occasional exception of Toronto.
Thinking about it - the oddest, strangest and most weird country I've ever been to is.... the past.
The future'll be a strange place as well.
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mustang6172

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #303 on: 05 Feb 2014, 21:55 »

The Super Bowl is exactly that - the World Cup Final equivalent of American Football.

The better analogy would be the FIFA Club World Cup.

There is an actual World Cup of American Football, but no one cares about it.

How is it a World Series if only American teams are in it?
That's the better question (with the occasional exception of Toronto.

Last year's World Series had players from Aruba, Canada, Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and the United States (including Puerto Rico).
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #304 on: 05 Feb 2014, 22:04 »

Yeah, I was specifically talking about the FIFA World Cup.
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Barmymoo

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #305 on: 06 Feb 2014, 02:45 »

The England football team frequently has players from as many different countries as that but it doesn't make it the World football team!
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #306 on: 06 Feb 2014, 04:40 »

Oh yeah, FIFA. Now I know what you mean. But there's never any real fuzz being made around the World Cup. Not in the scale of super bowl, that is.
Are you kidding me? Have you ever been out when Germany has a world cup game? It's deserted. And everything is full of football stuff. There are suddenly flags and jerseys everywhere, commercials are centered around football, every news station recaps every single game. It is EVERYWHERE.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #307 on: 06 Feb 2014, 05:06 »

Yeah, the World Cup is a big deal. I have vague memories of the 2002 World Cup and not having any actual lessons at school the day England were playing (must have been the quarter finals, according to Wikipedia) because so many teachers were off.
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ev4n

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #308 on: 06 Feb 2014, 08:49 »

i think i did a quick mental guess and decided that for every person who plays or has played american football there are ~30 people who have played "world" football.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #309 on: 06 Feb 2014, 13:26 »

Association football is the term you're looking for.
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GarandMarine

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #310 on: 19 Feb 2014, 04:07 »

http://mentalfloss.com/article/55140/10-japanese-travel-tips-visiting-america

I agree with number 9 so hard after my time in Tokyo.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #311 on: 19 Feb 2014, 06:08 »

That list seems... less than accurate.
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GarandMarine

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #312 on: 20 Feb 2014, 09:22 »

http://mentalfloss.com/article/54461/4-russian-travel-tips-visiting-america

short version: Russians are baffled that bribery is illegal here and also by how happy we are as a culture
 
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Loki

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #313 on: 20 Feb 2014, 14:54 »

Sadly I must say this is not inaccurate. [EDIT for clarification: That such advice must be given, that is].
Correction: [they have to be told] not that bribery is illegal, but socially unacceptable.
« Last Edit: 20 Feb 2014, 23:19 by Loki »
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #314 on: 20 Feb 2014, 15:08 »

Yeah, but sometimes you'll get the one honest guy and that just ruins your whole day.
Global Moderator Comment This forum does not endorse bribery.
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Akima

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #315 on: 21 Feb 2014, 13:52 »

Bribery is endemic in the USA. They call it "tipping". You bribe the waiter not to spit in your soup.  :-D
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #316 on: 21 Feb 2014, 14:10 »

I wanted to try tipping some cows, but the farmer wasn't happy about the attempted bribery.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #317 on: 21 Feb 2014, 15:48 »

Bribery is endemic in the USA. They call it "tipping". You bribe the waiter not to spit in your soup.  :-D

My brother tried to tip a waitress in Tokyo, I think she thought he was trying to pick her up.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #318 on: 22 Feb 2014, 15:05 »

I wanted to try tipping some cows, but the farmer wasn't happy about the attempted bribery.

Try Tractors
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #319 on: 23 Feb 2014, 09:17 »

You want him to tip a tractor?
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Pilchard123

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #320 on: 23 Feb 2014, 09:26 »

Kugai, he can't! He doesn't even have a horn.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #321 on: 23 Feb 2014, 10:57 »

Bribery is endemic in the USA. They call it "tipping". You bribe the waiter not to spit in your soup.  :-D
Except you don't tip/not tip until after you are done eating :roll:
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Pilchard123

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #322 on: 23 Feb 2014, 11:13 »

So you bribe the waiter not to spit in your soup next time?
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #323 on: 23 Feb 2014, 11:38 »

Pretty much, assuming they remember you and assuming you're a regular there. But honestly I see it as less bribing and more of an extra surcharge. If the server is bad enough that you wouldn't tip them (or would tip them significantly less), then you probably aren't going back to that restaurant anyway.
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Quote from: Polonius
Though this be madness, yet there is method in't.
MR ARCHIVE-FU MADNESS
Does anybody really know what time it is?
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

Pilchard123

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #324 on: 23 Feb 2014, 12:22 »

It was a joke.
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Method of Madness

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #325 on: 23 Feb 2014, 12:25 »

What's your point? :roll:
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Quote from: Polonius
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MR ARCHIVE-FU MADNESS
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LTK

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #326 on: 05 Mar 2014, 12:31 »

So here's what I recently learned about card payments in Sweden. When I first got here I was told that basically everybody in Sweden uses credit cards, not debit cards, for everyday purchases. "How American," I thought. Only now I found out that credit cards simply work exactly like debit cards here. Every transaction is directly deducted from your account, just like a debit card, but the cards themselves are otherwise identical to what I consider credit cards; card number, name and expiry date stenciled into the card, security code on the back and issued by Visa or Mastercard. Works for international and online purchases too.

That's actually really convenient. Why don't more countries do it like this?
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #327 on: 05 Mar 2014, 12:36 »

That... sounds exactly like what debit cards are here? Except we also have a chip and PIN system for additional security.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #328 on: 05 Mar 2014, 12:50 »

LTK, that is exactly what my debit card is, and I'm from the States.
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Quote from: Polonius
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MR ARCHIVE-FU MADNESS
Does anybody really know what time it is?
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

LTK

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #329 on: 05 Mar 2014, 12:52 »

But do your cards have this logo on it or this one? (Or V Pay if you have Visa?)
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Quote from: snalin
I just got the image of a midwife and a woman giving birth swinging towards each other on a trapeze - when they meet, the midwife pulls the baby out. The knife juggler is standing on the floor and cuts the umbilical cord with a a knifethrow.

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #330 on: 05 Mar 2014, 13:03 »

Mine has the Visa logo on it.
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Quote from: Polonius
Though this be madness, yet there is method in't.
MR ARCHIVE-FU MADNESS
Does anybody really know what time it is?
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Loki

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #331 on: 05 Mar 2014, 13:13 »

My German debit card has a Maestro logo on it, as do 99% of the debit cards I've seen here.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #332 on: 05 Mar 2014, 13:46 »

Yeah my debit card is a Visa card.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #333 on: 05 Mar 2014, 14:20 »

Maestro is the Mastercard debit brand.  Visa used to have a debit brand called Delta, but they changed it to the standard Visa logo with DEBIT under it in small type.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #334 on: 05 Mar 2014, 14:21 »

Yup, my debit card looks exactly like my credit cards, aside from also having my picture on it.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #335 on: 05 Mar 2014, 14:29 »

My German debit card has a Maestro logo on it, as do 99% of the debit cards I've seen here.
Most German debit cards have been replaced by V-Pay/Girocard cards over the course of the last few years actually. Which is bad, as these are not as internationally accepted as Maestro cards.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #336 on: 05 Mar 2014, 15:05 »

Except we also have a chip and PIN system for additional security.

I've never understood that. Is a four-digit number not easier to remember and reproduce than a signature?
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ankhtahr

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #337 on: 05 Mar 2014, 15:59 »

A few things: You show your signature to basically anyone, but you keep the PIN a secret. And if found out, a PIN can be changed. Your signature can't.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #338 on: 05 Mar 2014, 16:15 »

I forged my mom's signature on a test I failed when I was 10 and I didn't get found out. Signatures are super easy to fake!
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #339 on: 05 Mar 2014, 16:25 »

My signature when signing for card purchases is far from consistent. Sometimes it's the real thing, sometimes it's just a line.
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Quote from: Polonius
Though this be madness, yet there is method in't.
MR ARCHIVE-FU MADNESS
Does anybody really know what time it is?
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #340 on: 05 Mar 2014, 17:06 »

I have a debit card that can be processed either as credit or debit, but either way it comes directly out of my checking account. It's just a matter of whose system processes the transaction, Visa or ...the debit people(??). For credit I have to sign; for debit I use my PIN and can get cash back.
I usually do debit out of habit, since I don't get charged by my credit union to use it.

Does anyone have experience with the Wells Fargo Home Rebate credit card? I'm thinking of getting one since WF owns our mortgage.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #341 on: 05 Mar 2014, 17:43 »

My German debit card has a Maestro logo on it, as do 99% of the debit cards I've seen here.
Huh, must be just the Dutch and Germans then. I guess it's more secure to have separate credit and debit cards - you couldn't do shit with my debit card without the PIN, even if you have it in your hand - but given my frequency of international purchases I'd much rather have just one card that works for everything.
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Quote from: snalin
I just got the image of a midwife and a woman giving birth swinging towards each other on a trapeze - when they meet, the midwife pulls the baby out. The knife juggler is standing on the floor and cuts the umbilical cord with a a knifethrow.

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #342 on: 06 Mar 2014, 00:37 »

That's actually really convenient. Why don't more countries do it like this?
That's how my card works in effect. The same card, which is branded as a credit card, actually acts as both a credit card and a debit card. At bank ATMs, or retail EFTPOS terminals, I choose which account I want to draw from, type in the appropriate PIN for that account, and I'm done. At the moment you can still sign for credit-card transactions, but that is being phased out, and from 1st August 2014 only PINs will be accepted in Australia.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #343 on: 06 Mar 2014, 00:56 »

Yup, my debit card looks exactly like my credit cards, aside from also having my picture on it.

Please tell me it's a picture of your sugary sweet ass.
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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #344 on: 06 Mar 2014, 02:58 »

Chip and PIN has some serious security flaws (there are ways to produce a magstripe card from skimming the chip and PIN data), but it does fix some security problems by changing the card processing flow to require that the cardholder be at the card terminal to enter their PIN.

The signature system used in the US is a massive joke, really. (And, in many sit-down restaurants, your card often ends up being taken out of sight to be run through the credit card terminal, then they come back with the receipt to sign.)

Debit cards in the US are magstripe-and-PIN, for what it's worth.

Also, the workflow for self-scan POS usage of debit cards here in the US... if you scan it, and it's detected as a debit card, generally the terminal will present options related to processing it as a debit card, but you can cancel out of that, and then select to process it as a credit card. IIRC, as a debit card, your bank (and sometimes that gets passed onto you) pays the transaction fee, and it's a magstripe-and-PIN transaction (the PIN is sent to the bank to verify, rather than to the card), and you can choose to withdraw additional funds above the purchase amount. As a credit card, the merchant pays the transaction fee, it's magstripe-and-signature, and you can't withdraw additional funds.
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Masterpiece

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #345 on: 06 Mar 2014, 03:07 »

My credit card features myself playing the guitar.

nekowafer

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #346 on: 06 Mar 2014, 06:22 »

Yup, my debit card looks exactly like my credit cards, aside from also having my picture on it.

Please tell me it's a picture of your sugary sweet ass.

That would cause a lot of screaming when I paid for things.

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Akima

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #347 on: 06 Mar 2014, 17:18 »

And, in many sit-down restaurants, your card often ends up being taken out of sight to be run through the credit card terminal, then they come back with the receipt to sign.
One of two reasons I generally pay in cash at restaurants. The other is that very often diners in a group divvy up the bill, and that is much easier with cash. Unless you're that guy who only has $50 notes in their wallet, and expects everyone else to make change for them. Don't be that guy.

The biggest problem with the chipped cards seems to be the not-very-reliable electrical contact required between the card and the reader. Between worn or dirty cards, and worn or dirty terminals, the system rarely seems to work first time.
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Method of Madness

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #348 on: 06 Mar 2014, 18:28 »

Over here a lot of restaurants are willing to give everyone separate checks. Then again, over here we tip 20% (especially if they split the checks on a larger party) so I guess it evens out.
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Wervelf

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Re: What seemed weird when I visited your country
« Reply #349 on: 07 Mar 2014, 01:24 »

Over here a lot of restaurants are willing to give everyone separate checks. Then again, over here we tip 20% (especially if they split the checks on a larger party) so I guess it evens out.

What do you mean by separate checks?
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