Mike L.

Also, the slingshot guy did some more katana abuse; this time he's trying to see how deep a katana can cut into a mild steel pole:)

@Shalvenay Speaking of serious forging, I saw a video of a nuclear reactor being forged. Now that was impressive.

I'm told.

It's often the case with chinatanas and various wallhanger replicas.

@Shalvenay Some mass market producers do machine stamped blades, but usually not practical ones.

@Bellerophon I was talking historically. As of now, we barely got out from under Communist Russia, and are still trying to figure out regional administration.

@Bellerophon Yes, but that's recent politics.

@inappropriateCode So, also kinda like Scotland, maybe?

But, for instance, Bohemian and Moravian estates acted independently both in the Hussite wars and in the Czech wars (1st stage of 30-years war).

Then you also have Silesia, which is similarly a Slavic land, but one which changed hands often and wound up split after the War of Austrian Succession.

@inappropriateCode I'm not that familiar with Yorkshire history. I'd say it's closer to Wales (minus the language), because it existed as a distinct political entity for quite a long time, even if there was a personal union with Bohemia since about 1150.

@inappropriateCode I'm pretty sure Ireland would not recognize a same-sex marriage. Or would they?

Barring a few exceptions like the Wallachians.

There are some mountains between Moravia and Bohemia, as well as historical political divisions. Culture-wise, there is basically a continuum between Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia.

@inappropriateCode Moravians? Inhabitants of the historical land of Moravia (formerl Margravy of Moravia, before that the Great Moravian Empire).

@inappropriateCode Austrians speak German and they're not German.

@Bellerophon Eh, it's not like anyone in Europe will be trying to keep the English out.

@inappropriateCode Huh? The language group is West Slavic for both Czech and Slovak.

That's my nationality (what I wrote down in the census), but the citizenship is Czech (and Slovak, dual).

@inappropriateCode Moravian.

@inappropriateCode Ah, so you can relate to my tri-national identity:D

Dunno, something you said yesterday probably.

@inappropriateCode You're Irish? I figured you were an American expat.

@inappropriateCode Don't apologise for something you didn't do, that way lies madness.

Anecdotal, I'll grant you, but it's enough to make me not want to go there.

@inappropriateCode The reports I have are specifically from Dublin

@inappropriateCode Yeah... to the point that it's hazardous to look Eastern European in Ireland:/

In fact, I'm relying on some of them to let me sleep over when we go there in two weeks:)

I mean, like I said, a bunch of my classmates and acquaintances went to the UK basically straight from high school for a few months to a few years to work.

@inappropriateCode Well, that's what I was trying to get across:)

My thesis is: "In the UK, the average (white) immigrant wage will be lower than the average (white) native wage, because doing menial labour for pounds is an attractive option for people especially from the east of EU and there is low barrier to entry"

@inappropriateCode That is perfectly consistent with what I'm saying.

@inappropriateCode Well the nationalists tend towards lesser education, but the converse is not true.

@inappropriateCode I think it's more pronounced than you might think. Basically everyone in the EU learns some English at school, and wages in the UK will be higher than anywhere here in the East. I mean, a bunch of my high school classmates would go to the UK to look after somebody's kids or pick strawberries for those sweet, sweet ponds sterling.

I mean, I'm from the Czech Republic, I should know, right?

@inappropriateCode I'm not saying the immigrants go to UK to be on the dole, but rather that it's appealing for unqualified labourers.

While the opposite will be true in UK since just about anyone from the EU can go there and work.

Because it seems to me that the immigration process in the US is configured to filter for higher education and such, which would translate to higher average income as well.

@inappropriateCode Average earnings.

@inappropriateCode I wonder what kind of results you would get if you compared white natives to immigrants.

Much the same as in SF Bay Area, probably.

And I suspect it's more the second, third and further-generation immigrants that wind up working in the service industry, rather than direct immigrants (who will tend to be more highly educated and specialised or they wouldn't have the money to immigrate in the first place)

@inappropriateCode But of course it's not a rule, just a correlation.

@DaaaahWhoosh Nope

@inappropriateCode Bangalore?

So Indians seem to be overrepresented in hospitality as well.

And, to be a little politically incorrect, I found there to be a positive correlation between how much one works with their hands and how dark their complexion is.

@inappropriateCode Britain in general seems to be full of Indians.

Now I just need something in the Loch Carron area for the 21st