06 Feb 2010, 11:39 pm
Being half french myself (Hai parakeet 
), i can confirm that they smoke a lot... <.< my godfather does, her wife does, my dad (who's the frenchman of the family) used to smoke until i (among others) dissuaded him from doing so and now he doesn't smoke at all pretty much. Meh.
Oh and pronounciation is VERY important. <.< How dare you! 
You should know that whatever isn't clearly said isn't french. :p (and to paraphrase him, a japanese said that whatever is clearly said isn't japanese o.O ) Still, Quebec isn't as hardcore about it than France is, it's only used in the formal tone. :p
And parakeet, Miss C is right, you should know that ANYONE with an inkling of french blood qualifies for french citizenship. <.< (that includes me and you ;p )
06 Feb 2010, 11:51 pm
06 Feb 2010, 11:55 pm
07 Feb 2010, 11:08 am
07 Feb 2010, 5:39 pm
pakled wrote:
France has everything to teach, and nothing to learn.
They could learn from Britain and the US how to be less racist - I speak from personal experience in all three countries. I've never experienced so much racism in such a short time as in Paris (it seems I look Algerian).
TallyMan wrote:
Speaking as an Englishman who has lived in France for the last five years. I can say that one of the biggest problems with France is bureaucracy.
So true, at least regarding their inept immigration officers.
TallyMan wrote:
On the plus side though. France does have nice baguettes, wine and cheese. 
Swiss cheese is better for my taste at least, and I can think of two neighbouring countries where I had better food than in France.
France isn't such a bad country, just an overrated one.
Tollorin
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07 Feb 2010, 7:03 pm
TallyMan wrote:
Speaking as an Englishman who has lived in France for the last five years. I can say that one of the biggest problems with France is bureaucracy. The French are a nation of pen-pushers. They love paperwork. Everyone is drowning in piles of documents and paying huge amounts in taxes to employ people to generate more paperwork to pass on to other equally useless pen-pushers. It is a national preoccupation. Instead of having unemployment, France creates totally useless organisations to generate more and more documents.
This mass of bureaucracy is strangling the country from doing anything new. Take for example business start-ups. If you want to set up a typical business in England you just get on with it. The English government has a handful of organisations geared to helping you succeed and giving you the right information. There are also various tax breaks etc.
If you want to start a business in France the bureaucrats are on you like a rash. You have to wade through a massive amount of restrictions and paperwork. They hit you with taxes/charges as though you are an established business - In France you can often end up paying more in taxes/charges than your business is earning! New businesses fail five times more often than in England due to the crippling taxes / social charges and bureaucracy.
On the plus side though. France does have nice baguettes, wine and cheese.
This mass of bureaucracy is strangling the country from doing anything new. Take for example business start-ups. If you want to set up a typical business in England you just get on with it. The English government has a handful of organisations geared to helping you succeed and giving you the right information. There are also various tax breaks etc.
If you want to start a business in France the bureaucrats are on you like a rash. You have to wade through a massive amount of restrictions and paperwork. They hit you with taxes/charges as though you are an established business - In France you can often end up paying more in taxes/charges than your business is earning! New businesses fail five times more often than in England due to the crippling taxes / social charges and bureaucracy.
On the plus side though. France does have nice baguettes, wine and cheese.
You should enjoy this video then
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTqvL74dAEw[/youtube]
Tollorin
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07 Feb 2010, 8:08 pm
phil777 wrote:
Oh and pronounciation is VERY important. <.< How dare you! Shame On You You should know that whatever isn't clearly said isn't french. :p (and to paraphrase him, a japanese said that whatever is clearly said isn't japanese o.O ) Still, Quebec isn't as hardcore about it than France is, it's only used in the formal tone. :p
French wasn't always been clear. Quebec french had stay closer to the french of Louis XIV court.
A video about it here, in french
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UFBHBYD6bU[/youtube]
07 Feb 2010, 10:16 pm
08 Feb 2010, 4:08 am
Tollorin wrote:
TallyMan wrote:
Speaking as an Englishman who has lived in France for the last five years. I can say that one of the biggest problems with France is bureaucracy. The French are a nation of pen-pushers. They love paperwork. Everyone is drowning in piles of documents and paying huge amounts in taxes to employ people to generate more paperwork to pass on to other equally useless pen-pushers. It is a national preoccupation. Instead of having unemployment, France creates totally useless organisations to generate more and more documents.
This mass of bureaucracy is strangling the country from doing anything new. Take for example business start-ups. If you want to set up a typical business in England you just get on with it. The English government has a handful of organisations geared to helping you succeed and giving you the right information. There are also various tax breaks etc.
If you want to start a business in France the bureaucrats are on you like a rash. You have to wade through a massive amount of restrictions and paperwork. They hit you with taxes/charges as though you are an established business - In France you can often end up paying more in taxes/charges than your business is earning! New businesses fail five times more often than in England due to the crippling taxes / social charges and bureaucracy.
On the plus side though. France does have nice baguettes, wine and cheese.
This mass of bureaucracy is strangling the country from doing anything new. Take for example business start-ups. If you want to set up a typical business in England you just get on with it. The English government has a handful of organisations geared to helping you succeed and giving you the right information. There are also various tax breaks etc.
If you want to start a business in France the bureaucrats are on you like a rash. You have to wade through a massive amount of restrictions and paperwork. They hit you with taxes/charges as though you are an established business - In France you can often end up paying more in taxes/charges than your business is earning! New businesses fail five times more often than in England due to the crippling taxes / social charges and bureaucracy.
On the plus side though. France does have nice baguettes, wine and cheese.
You should enjoy this video then
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTqvL74dAEw[/youtube]
I might if I had something faster than dial-up internet to access it. France Telecom / Orange have a virtual monopoly on telecoms here in France. They just aren't interested in putting broadband into small villages and hamlets. So unless you live in a town forget high speed internet connections. Similarly due to their virtual monopoly France has amongst the highest mobile phone charges in the world. I've found it much cheaper to keep my English mobile phone and pay international roaming rates than to pay standard local French rates.
08 Feb 2010, 4:20 am
08 Feb 2010, 4:30 am
iamnotaparakeet
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08 Feb 2010, 4:31 am
Tollorin
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08 Feb 2010, 10:24 am
Tallyman wrote:
I might if I had something faster than dial-up internet to access it. France Telecom / Orange have a virtual monopoly on telecoms here in France. They just aren't interested in putting broadband into small villages and hamlets. So unless you live in a town forget high speed internet connections. Similarly due to their virtual monopoly France has amongst the highest mobile phone charges in the world. I've found it much cheaper to keep my English mobile phone and pay international roaming rates than to pay standard local French rates.
Sound like Canada.
08 Feb 2010, 10:37 am
Tollorin wrote:
Tallyman wrote:
I might if I had something faster than dial-up internet to access it. France Telecom / Orange have a virtual monopoly on telecoms here in France. They just aren't interested in putting broadband into small villages and hamlets. So unless you live in a town forget high speed internet connections. Similarly due to their virtual monopoly France has amongst the highest mobile phone charges in the world. I've found it much cheaper to keep my English mobile phone and pay international roaming rates than to pay standard local French rates.
Sound like Canada.
I live in a town of less than 20,000 people and have decent Internet and televison access.
Tollorin
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08 Feb 2010, 11:18 am
Master_Pedant wrote:
Tollorin wrote:
Tallyman wrote:
I might if I had something faster than dial-up internet to access it. France Telecom / Orange have a virtual monopoly on telecoms here in France. They just aren't interested in putting broadband into small villages and hamlets. So unless you live in a town forget high speed internet connections. Similarly due to their virtual monopoly France has amongst the highest mobile phone charges in the world. I've found it much cheaper to keep my English mobile phone and pay international roaming rates than to pay standard local French rates.
Sound like Canada.
I live in a town of less than 20,000 people and have decent Internet and televison access.
My parents who live in a small village don't have anything decent as internet connection. At least in Quebec there is no high-speed connections in rural places. Less than 20,000 peoples? It's still a town.
08 Feb 2010, 11:23 am
