Bruce Shiverdecker
06-08-2006, 3:38 PM
Good afternoon all:
After spending some three hours brousing through twenty plus pages of posts here on the Creek. I can tell you all have been very productive, inovative and have made some downright fabulous things while I was out of touch. Rather than commenting one each one individually, Congrats to you all on the find workmenship.
Without meaning to be demeaning to any of the countries I visited during the last twelve days, I can say, without ANY doubts, "IT'S GREAT TO BE AN AMERICAN AND LIVE IN THE U.S.A.!" I was told of income taxes in the range of 40 - 60%. Taxes on automobiles of 150% (Just so you don't get this one wrong; a car costing $15,000 has an additional Sales Tax of $22,500.00). Housing cost three to four times as high as here. Food costing two to three times as much. Fuel cost of an equivilant of $10.00 per gallon. Granted, they get almost free medical and free schooling through college.
On the plus side, there are hundreds of years of culture to see and study. I was able to bring home a small piece of Black Willow that I got at an outdoor museum of fourteenth and fifteenth century buildings. It was headed for a fire, when I rescued it.
Keeping in mind that we were limited to tourist type areas, the people were generally friendly and when even when we were off on our own, were able to get directions, etc. quite easily, from the friendly citizens. (Stayed away from Micky D's, KFC, and other common US franchises. Note for investors: The locals were swarming them!
Took a lot of pictures. Will post some here that pertain to woodworking, when I get back to Illinois. We're spending a couple of days getting over the 26 hour awake trip from the ship to Philly. (Got up at 5:00 GMT to get ready to leave the ship. 3 hours later we debark. After a two and one half hour bus ride to Heathrow, we sit there for a 4:00 pm takeoff. A 7 hour flight gets us to Newark airport at 6:40 EST. Due to bad weather in the Northeast, our transportation to Philly doesn't arrive till 10:15 and we get back into town at 11:30. To bed at midnight! For those adding up the time, you have to adjust out wakeup time to 10.00 pm on the 7th to allow for the seven hour time difference between GMT and EST. Yesterday WAS A LONG DAY! Recuperating today and fighting a little head cold I picked up the last couple of days on the trip.
A little tired now, so I'll see YA ALL later.
Bruce;)
After spending some three hours brousing through twenty plus pages of posts here on the Creek. I can tell you all have been very productive, inovative and have made some downright fabulous things while I was out of touch. Rather than commenting one each one individually, Congrats to you all on the find workmenship.
Without meaning to be demeaning to any of the countries I visited during the last twelve days, I can say, without ANY doubts, "IT'S GREAT TO BE AN AMERICAN AND LIVE IN THE U.S.A.!" I was told of income taxes in the range of 40 - 60%. Taxes on automobiles of 150% (Just so you don't get this one wrong; a car costing $15,000 has an additional Sales Tax of $22,500.00). Housing cost three to four times as high as here. Food costing two to three times as much. Fuel cost of an equivilant of $10.00 per gallon. Granted, they get almost free medical and free schooling through college.
On the plus side, there are hundreds of years of culture to see and study. I was able to bring home a small piece of Black Willow that I got at an outdoor museum of fourteenth and fifteenth century buildings. It was headed for a fire, when I rescued it.
Keeping in mind that we were limited to tourist type areas, the people were generally friendly and when even when we were off on our own, were able to get directions, etc. quite easily, from the friendly citizens. (Stayed away from Micky D's, KFC, and other common US franchises. Note for investors: The locals were swarming them!
Took a lot of pictures. Will post some here that pertain to woodworking, when I get back to Illinois. We're spending a couple of days getting over the 26 hour awake trip from the ship to Philly. (Got up at 5:00 GMT to get ready to leave the ship. 3 hours later we debark. After a two and one half hour bus ride to Heathrow, we sit there for a 4:00 pm takeoff. A 7 hour flight gets us to Newark airport at 6:40 EST. Due to bad weather in the Northeast, our transportation to Philly doesn't arrive till 10:15 and we get back into town at 11:30. To bed at midnight! For those adding up the time, you have to adjust out wakeup time to 10.00 pm on the 7th to allow for the seven hour time difference between GMT and EST. Yesterday WAS A LONG DAY! Recuperating today and fighting a little head cold I picked up the last couple of days on the trip.
A little tired now, so I'll see YA ALL later.
Bruce;)