With such different views, that shows there's no such thing as common sense.
English spreads
I agree with JJM. I think a French person would have to be sensitive to the point of ridiculousness to be offended by the name 'Waterloo Station'. The battle was nearly 200 years ago - it's not as though anyone alive today could have been affected by it!
<The battle was nearly 200 years ago - it's not as though anyone alive today could have been affected by it! >
Well I can complain I would of had more family members if it wasn't for the War.
Thats what I would considered an reasonable excuse.
Well I can complain I would of had more family members if it wasn't for the War.
Thats what I would considered an reasonable excuse.
"Well I can complain I would of had more family members if it wasn't for the War."
We could all complain about that because of any number of wars...
We could all complain about that because of any number of wars...
The new London Olympic stadium, to be completed in 2011, will be called Trafalgar Stadium, because we won the bid, and beat Paris, in 2005 - the 400th anniversary of another British victory over the French, the Battle of Trafalgar.
"The battle was nearly 200 years ago - it's not as though anyone alive today could have been affected by it!"
We would have been affected by it to this day if the French had won.
Sometimes, the arrogance, and the ignorance, of the French astounds me. A few days ago, someone wrote a letter to the The Times newspaper saying that he once visited his friend's house in France. His friend's father said to him: "Why are so many places and landmarks in London named after French victories over Britain?"
The Englishman asked: "What places?"
And the Frenchman said "Places such as Waterloo Station and Trafalgar Square."
When the Englishman explained to the Frenchman that these were British victories against the French, the Frenchman just would not believe him. He eventually stormed out the room and went upstairs.
Apparently, the guy said in the letter, that this is not a rare situation in France. It's actually a common believe amongst the French that Trafalgar and Waterloo were French victories.
We would have been affected by it to this day if the French had won.
Sometimes, the arrogance, and the ignorance, of the French astounds me. A few days ago, someone wrote a letter to the The Times newspaper saying that he once visited his friend's house in France. His friend's father said to him: "Why are so many places and landmarks in London named after French victories over Britain?"
The Englishman asked: "What places?"
And the Frenchman said "Places such as Waterloo Station and Trafalgar Square."
When the Englishman explained to the Frenchman that these were British victories against the French, the Frenchman just would not believe him. He eventually stormed out the room and went upstairs.
Apparently, the guy said in the letter, that this is not a rare situation in France. It's actually a common believe amongst the French that Trafalgar and Waterloo were French victories.
***Surely there's a common sense statute of limitations on past history***
True....it's of no consequence unless you are a diehard student of past Anglo-Franco conflicts on the battlefields of history. My guess is that practically every French person getting off Eurostar when they arrive at Waterloo wouldn't give a toss about the name of the station...like most Brits, a fair number may not even recognise any historical significance perhaps. Like Trafalgar Square just across the river. (Good luck to the poor wee whale in the river btw!) More than likely they would be thinking of what line on the Tube they will have to get on to get to their ultimate destination. What a shock they'll get when they see the fare they'll have to pay....London must be the most expensive city in the world.
True....it's of no consequence unless you are a diehard student of past Anglo-Franco conflicts on the battlefields of history. My guess is that practically every French person getting off Eurostar when they arrive at Waterloo wouldn't give a toss about the name of the station...like most Brits, a fair number may not even recognise any historical significance perhaps. Like Trafalgar Square just across the river. (Good luck to the poor wee whale in the river btw!) More than likely they would be thinking of what line on the Tube they will have to get on to get to their ultimate destination. What a shock they'll get when they see the fare they'll have to pay....London must be the most expensive city in the world.
I agree with with Damian completely. The vast majority of people I know here in Britain don't give the Anglo-Franco conflicts of the past much thought at all (if any), so I'd be extremely surprised if many people in France did.
There is a rescue operation under way to rescue the whale. They've lifted it onto a barge and are taking it to the Thames estuary, but the rescuers are pessimistic -
Whale's health deteriorates
Press Association
Saturday January 21, 2006
The fate of the stranded Thames whale hung in the balance tonight after its health suddenly deteriorated.
Rescuers who winched it on to a barge in central London and headed down river to the sea cancelled an appeal for an ocean-going vessel to take it out to deep water.
Experts on board said they were "pessimistic" about the fate of the 15ft-long bottle-nosed whale.
A spokesman for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue Group said it was not fit enough to be transferred to a larger ship to release it off the south coast. If it is judged fit enough to go back into the water it will now go straight in from the barge.
The spokesman said: "It has obviously been under a lot of stress having been through what it's been through.
"The word being used on the barge is 'pessimistic'. If they do go for a refloat it will be off that barge."
The whale is showing "quite high levels of stress", the spokesman added. "The condition is not ideal."
The downturn threatened a sad ending to a day-long saga followed around the country via rolling TV coverage.
guardian.co.uk
Whale's health deteriorates
Press Association
Saturday January 21, 2006
The fate of the stranded Thames whale hung in the balance tonight after its health suddenly deteriorated.
Rescuers who winched it on to a barge in central London and headed down river to the sea cancelled an appeal for an ocean-going vessel to take it out to deep water.
Experts on board said they were "pessimistic" about the fate of the 15ft-long bottle-nosed whale.
A spokesman for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue Group said it was not fit enough to be transferred to a larger ship to release it off the south coast. If it is judged fit enough to go back into the water it will now go straight in from the barge.
The spokesman said: "It has obviously been under a lot of stress having been through what it's been through.
"The word being used on the barge is 'pessimistic'. If they do go for a refloat it will be off that barge."
The whale is showing "quite high levels of stress", the spokesman added. "The condition is not ideal."
The downturn threatened a sad ending to a day-long saga followed around the country via rolling TV coverage.
guardian.co.uk
It is if you're a Northerner. We say: "We aren't as rich as Southerners, but still have a higher standard of living because the cost of living is much lower."
And, it is partly for Londoners. I suppose it means Londoners are richer than the inhabitants of most other cities. The people of Central London are the richest people, per capita, in Europe, so it matters not too much that prices are expensive.
And, it is partly for Londoners. I suppose it means Londoners are richer than the inhabitants of most other cities. The people of Central London are the richest people, per capita, in Europe, so it matters not too much that prices are expensive.