Sunday, April 22, 2007

14 million Americans want to move abroad?!

According to a new survey, there's as many Americans as who want to move abroad as there are in the entire Czech and Slovak Republics (give or take a few Bobs and Svatopluks). Wow! Hope that they all have something to do when they get here.

Looking at the numbers from the survey, it seems like Europe is a top destination. The survey authors say that the numbers are high, but that the respondents are people who say that "they're planning to" (i.e. where's the airport) to "maybe not, but I may buy property." Together, that's a pretty high number. Reasons ranged by age group, with political reasoning and wanting new challenges rating tops for reasons to leave for a few years. (It's also interesting to look at reasoning by age on page 10.)

Taken at face value, it looks like not only that everyone wants to come to the US, but many from the US might like to try the opposite direction.

Europe estimates that it needs hundreds of thousands of people over the next few decades just to keep the population stable. Bringing a few Americans back to Europe probably wouldn't cause too much of an uproar, although we'd definitely have to work on our accents, specially of Romance languages.

The absolute most hilarious thing I ever saw in a restaurant in Paris was some years ago when I was studying undergrad. A guy from Texas was trying to impress his girlfriend who'd come over for Spring Break. He was doing his best, but just couldn't make that switch from English to French. For example, whenever he wanted a waiter, he would snap his fingers and shout "GARKON!" at regular intervals. A new waiter would appear each time... and I didn't know why until I saw the others about to double-over laughing. The Texan's French was so entertainingly bad that they were sending colleagues over just to listen. Other gems included "Champseleeseez", "Versails", "joornow" and "dooo cervezas du plus" (with an upturned V sign made with two fingers to the waiter).

The waiters were well-mannered though, and completmented to the girlfriend on how good "ze monsieur's French ees, oh yes, you must stay wit' eem, ozerwise".... (fingersnap)..." a Frenchwoaman will nevair let'im leave." They did get a nice tip in the end, I saw, so everyone was 'appy.

The British are moving to France and Spain en masse, and most of them can't speak the local languages worth much either. So a few extra American types won't hurt, I duely reckon. Besides, if Americans come to work in Europe, maybe some of the folks back home will start to wonder why they're settling for two weeks of vacation when Bob over in Germany has five, a Mercedes and makes more money (well, at least while the Euro is strong).

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Sunday, March 18, 2007

I still have a weblog..... yea!

I've never been on for weblogs, but this thing amazingly still keeps getting hits. Well, why not breathe some (content) life into it then.... While I get my act together, here are a couple of fun clips.

1- A QVC home shopping announcer demonstrating the high quality and strength of a fake sword manages to stab himself on live TV- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e77oXjFkIs

2- Three BBC presentors take up a challenge to make their own limousines and then put them through road tests before a final, ultimate challenge. It's in a couple of parts, but worth watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyZcF9g0V1g

3- An ad from Germany which plays on the need of some to improve their English. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsCR9Y4Ymvo

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Watch your step...

Press reports say that thieves in the depressed town of Charleroi have been stealing manhole covers like no-one's business this summer. In the past two months over 50 have disappeared, leaving a bunch of holes around town. Thieves reportedly try to sell the covers for their value as scrap metal. Charleroi was the same town that not too long ago saw some local criminals use a bazooka on a police station, and local vandals also burnt half of the city's police cars in just one night....

Saturday, August 05, 2006

A bad hair day?

One of my favorite blogs is Pestiside. It's from Budapest, and having been there twice alreday this year, it's, well, a very unique place. Pestiside outdid itself today.....

Horrific M1 crash almost ends in dry hair

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

France goes Anglo-Saxon (finally)

This one passed under the radar of most of the news services, but a recent law change is probably going to open up the job market in France to non-EU citizens…. well, ones with university degrees anyway. From January 1, if you meet the conditions (which have yet to be announced, BTW), you’ll be able to get a two-year renewable permit which allows you to go look for a job in France.

Translated, that means that if the French authorities decide that you’re good enough, you can apply for this permit without having a job lined up. With the permit in hand, you can then go find a job on your own. The UK already has a system like this, and the Netherlands is reportedly considering such a program.

Anyway, we’re still building the website, but there’s more to see over at Do It Yourself Expat, the first guide for non-EU nationals on working and living in the European Union.