• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    7 hours ago

    Congratulations! Made it to the UK from the US yesterday myself. Let’s hope our new lives will be great!

    • ThePyroPython@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      Welcome! Weather’s a bit shite at the moment and monsoon season (February to May) is just around the corner, but it’ll brighten up for 2 weeks in June and for the last 2 weeks of August.

      Drop me a DM if you’re heading up Manchester way and I’d happily give you a tour and you’re more than welcome to come over to my family’s place for a Sunday Roast.

      • Freefall@lemmy.world
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        4 hours ago

        Hopefully OP can live with trading “needing a TV license for a TV no one uses anymore” and “actual healthcare” for a “failing democracy turned Christian nationalist oligarchy”!

      • AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space
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        4 hours ago

        Only if you have a TV. Theoretically, you need one to stream the BBC/ITV and such on a computer/phone, but the onus is not on you to prove that you didn’t. You’ll get letters asking to confirm that you don’t need a licence, and then threats of an inspection to make sure you don’t have a TV that’s on and being used to watch TV, though I’m not sure if they follow through with the latter. (In the analogue days, they had detector vans that either could detect TV tuners tuned to channels or were a bluff to get people to pay up, though they seem to have given up on that.)

        • Agent641@lemmy.world
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          1 hour ago

          The detector vans were real, and they weren’t a bluff, but the tech they used wasn’t some high tech signal detector. The secret is that they just pointed a parabolic microphone (possibly a laser microphone at a later time) at your window and listened for the audio. The operator would flip through TV channels in his van and try to match the audio from your house to the audio from a currently broadcasting TV station. That was sufficient to determine if someone was watching broadcast tv or not.

        • MY_ANUS_IS_BLEEDING@lemm.ee
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          4 hours ago

          They don’t follow up on the threats - or at least not regularly. (9 years and counting here - even if I somehow get caught and fined the max amount I’ve still saved money)

          • casmael@lemm.ee
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            3 hours ago

            Oi sonny Jim this isn’t a loisense request this is a loisense request request it’s a different department Oi hope you’ve got all yer paperwerk in order jimbo

        • Freefall@lemmy.world
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          4 hours ago

          Stabbing? American here, never heard of it…, it’s like shooting but no range, lower body count, and not something a physically inferior person can do to anyone equally effectively, right?

    • casmael@lemm.ee
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      6 hours ago

      Welcome to the uk did you pick up your complementary kettle on the way in? Sorry the rail network is such a mess but what can you do. Glad to have you bud o7

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        Honestly, other than the fact that we were really confused about where to go due to poor signage (and missed our train twice and got lost when we were supposed to change trains), we enjoyed the train ride. We did pay for first class on for the Avanti West portion, but it was worth every penny. (Or am I supposed to say worth every p now?) And since we came from the land of very few trains that all suck, the actual train rides were great. And people were super helpful with our heavy luggage.

        • MY_ANUS_IS_BLEEDING@lemm.ee
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          3 hours ago

          It’s still known as pennies here. It makes more sense for a pence to be called a penny than it does for a cent to be called a penny.

        • A_A@lemmy.world
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          6 hours ago

          Glad to hear you arrived safe and well. Also, for your information :
          Galleons: The primary unit of currency, typically made of gold. One Galleon is worth 17 Sickles.
          Sickles: The second unit of currency, made of silver. One Sickle is worth 29 Knuts.
          Knuts: The smallest unit of currency, made of bronze.
          P.S. : Next time for the train you should get to Platform 9 and 3/4

            • A_A@lemmy.world
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              4 hours ago

              😋 Today i learned about :

              Cowrie shells

              (from GPT) … were widely used as a form of money in many parts of the world, particularly in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Their durability and portability made them a practical medium of exchange.


              Such culture ! I’m convinced you will find a great job and i hope the best for your kid as well. Take care 😌

    • Kraiden@kbin.earth
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      8 hours ago

      If you’re serious then here you go

      Take a look at the skills shortages list as well, because if you can get a job in something on that list, you’ll have a much easier time. We desperately need Healthcare workers

      You will be welcome here for the most part, but I have started noticing some things that are starting to annoy me, and I know I’m not alone, so fair warning:

      Please remember why you’re coming here. Nothing annoys me more than Americans who move here and then never shut up about how things were better back home. We have no 2a, our stores are small, and we don’t tip. I consider those to be GOOD things. Also, even our right wing party (National) would be considered center left over there. (Sadly that seems to be changing)

      If you’re just looking for what America was 15 years ago, Australia is what you’re looking for. That’s not a joke either, I mean that very seriously, Australia is a better fit. It’s the USA of the southern hemisphere (sorry Aussies, but tell me I’m wrong)

      It’s a process, but it can be done! Good luck!

      • Delphia@lemmy.world
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        3 hours ago

        Although you may not recieve as warm a welcome in Aus at the moment.

        A LOT of Australians are mad at Americans for their political culture right now. We have transphobes and bigots here too and theres a lot of Australian bigots who are feeling very bold. Also theres a feeling from the more left leaning people that if we dont have enough resources and room for people freeing ethnic cleansing, wars and famine we dont have the room for people who didnt like how their democratic election went. Also our cost of living isnt going down either…

        Not saying you will get a hostile reaction, or even a negative one… just temper your expectations.

        • MrBobDobalina@lemmy.nz
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          1 hour ago

          FYI there’s a typo in here which had me reading it like “people-freeing ethnic cleansing”, which sounds evil as hell and not at all what you meant

      • peoplebeproblems@midwest.social
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        5 hours ago

        No 2a, our stores are small and we don’t tip.

        Next you’ll tell me that the government expects me to take time off from work to care for my health and family. And that having a personal car is expensive and unnecessary.

      • Halo@lemmynsfw.com
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        4 hours ago

        Wife and I looked into moving to Australia after we visited Sydney. I work in IT so not a problem for me to find a new job and my wife is in healthcare. She is a respiratory therapist which is in high demand but looks like your end of the world does nursing with a speciality in respiratory therapy.

        Couldn’t figure out how that would translate but damn are we ready to jump over the bigger pond.

          • gnuplusmatt@reddthat.com
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            2 hours ago

            I mean, you asked us to tell you that you’re wrong

            I generally don’t agree that we’re culturally much like the US, but between AUKUS and Pine Gap, we’re definitely beholden to them

      • saltesc@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        You’re right. Have always considered Australia the US and NZ Canada.

        Americans fit in well in Australia so long as they’re friendly and check their ego at the door. Australian culture is a big moosh of many cultures but tends to cringe at American culture. You kind of have to be more about yourself rather than be all about being an American, then you will fit in.

            • IsThisAnAI@lemmy.world
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              4 hours ago

              I haven’t had issues getting 200mb + in like 10 years. It’s pretty common to find decent priced gigabit as well. I’m sure it’s kinda shitty in rural areas but it’s not nearly as bad as it used to be.

            • DreamButt@lemmy.world
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              7 hours ago

              A lot of America is empty so this highly depends on what you mean

              In the city the internet is great

              • 𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖞 𝕿𝖚𝖓𝖆@lemmy.world
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                6 hours ago

                I grew up in the armpit of SW Oklahoma. My parents’ Internet was 256 kbps in 2009. Today, they get a blazing 20 Mbps and it goes down all the time. My brother signed up for a satellite internet company that’s a bit more reliable and gives him something like 50 Mbps, but iirc, his data cap is something like 250 GB and then it’s overage charges. And I think he pays $120 a month for that plan.

                My wife and I live in the Oklahona City area and get 250 Mbps, and only because that’s all we need. We were running 500 for a while, but we almost never needed that much. We have a 1 TB data cap and pay $50 a month.

                We’re going to upgrade to fiber in the next few years. A local company is in our area and offers symmetrical 1 Gbps internet for like $80 a month. But there are upfront costs associated with getting it set up in the house that I don’t want to swing yet. But I’m thinking more about it lately because I’d love to self host something like Nextcloud and get off of Google Drive.

                Anyway, yeah, internet in cities is mostly pretty good. Once you’re out in the sticks, well, good luck.

                • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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                  6 hours ago

                  It really depends. I know of little towns in rural Idaho that have gigabit fibre to the house simply because the local phone company submitted the request for a federal grant. The money has been there since Obama, but utils need to ask for it, and certain local populations would rather starve than take any sort of handout from the federal government.

                • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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                  6 hours ago

                  Like in the burbs of Tulsa and we get 1gig but its super expensive and I hate it. Cox is the only choice. I would love to get out of this state at least if I can’t get out of the country.

      • Otkaz@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        Possibly stupid question but what do you mean by “we have no 2a”?

        Edit: 2nd amendment, thanks!

      • Supervisor194@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        We have no 2a, our stores are small, and we don’t tip.

        These are the only examples you can come up with as to why Americans might “never shut up” about it being “better back home?” I’m having a hard time taking that seriously.

        I consider those to be GOOD things.

        Well yeah, so would roughly 90% of all Americans. Well maybe the small stores thing from a convenience standpoint I guess?

        What I’m saying is I’d like you to elaborate, this can’t be the whole story (signed, someone who has seriously given thought to moving to NZ). :)

        • Kraiden@kbin.earth
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          7 hours ago

          Ha ha ha, I chose those specific examples because of a specific person. I had to work with that person for 6 months and it it felt like all they wanted to talk about was how you can’t get good pizza (you can) or how the shelves are always empty (they’re not) or how the water here tastes weird. (I mean, maybe. That’s subjective) By the end I just wanted to scream at them. We had a very heated debate about tipping culture one day at lunch. They didn’t understand that “I used to work in hospitality, and I wouldn’t have survived without tips” is not an argument in favour of tipping culture.

          I realise I’ve generalized here, and it’s not fair to judge everyone by one irritating example. Sorry about that

          • MrBobDobalina@lemmy.nz
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            2 hours ago

            Also anecdotal: I met an American in France one time. We were both travelling, so there were plenty of other things to talk about, but somehow he got onto the subject of how much he loves the 2nd amendment within 5 minutes of meeting him, max. I have no idea how he steered the convo there, it was like a magic trick. Blew my mind.

        • Zorque@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          I think you’re equating Lemmy with America. You vastly overestimate how many people share that viewpoint.

  • Majorllama@lemmy.world
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    9 hours ago

    Isn’t New Zealand currently going through their own slide to the right? The Māori only represent like ~17% of the population over there. New Zealand just elected a conservative coalition.

    Seems like you’re just moving from one place you (presumably) don’t agree with to a new place that also just signed up for shit you probably aren’t going to agree with.

    I mean it looks beautiful but if your travel is for political reasons I fear you’re just heading to a different slice of the same.

    Have a safe flight.

    • Splenetic@lemm.ee
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      6 hours ago

      Re NZ politics - Yes and no.

      The currect situation is due to some very specific circumstances thst emerged in the chaos of the last 10 years.

      • The centre left Labour Party & PM were hugely popular during covid & won an unheard of majority (normally our electoral system requires a coalition). A swing back to the centre-right was inevitable.

      • The centre right National party, usually our most popular party, had their leadership retire & endured years of in-fighting that made them unelectable

      • Because of this, they’ve bled a lot of voters to the “libertarian” & “centrist” parties (ACT & NZ First)

      • Also because of this, the current National Party leader is rather inexperienced & has given up some things in the coalition agreements that are more extreme than the public likes leading to record breaking protests.

      • The “centrist” party leader (Winston Peters) is a whole thing that I can’t neatly summarize, but imagine a political party designed to cater exclusively to the oldest & dumbest 5% of voters run by that Monorail guy from The Simpsons

      In summary, less a slide right & more a correction back to status quo + a few unpopular chaos agents

      • absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz
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        4 hours ago

        I would characterize it differently.

        • Labour was hugely popular, I agree, but the popularity left when Jacinda Ardern left. She was a extremely charismatic figure; and Labour was at the end of two terms (6 years); with the halo effect gone a lot of the poor decisions they made were highlighted (a lot of the times unfairly).
        • National along with Act and NZ First, pushed hard on the government debt rhetoric during the last election. Blaming Labour for inflation, which it had little control over, but it didn’t matter the populous were hurting from low wage growth and high inflation. They were looking for a change.
        • The center right bloc won with a decent majority, though not specular.
        • National fucked up hard! during the negotiations with Act and NZ First. Luxon in a rush to form a government; gave away so much it is frankly baffling.
        • In NZ politics:
          • The Green Party has stated they will never work with National or Act.
          • Labour have said they will not work with Act.
          • This forces Act to only be able to side with National, from Nationals point of view Act should be a minor player on the right of National.
          • NZ First are a bit of a wild card, Winston Peters the leader is an old cunning and in my opinion untrustworthy ally.
          • Te Pati Maori (TPM) will work with both parties, which ever gives them the most of what they want.
        • National could have gone with TPM or NZF along with Act to form a government, they choose to go with NZF and between Winston Peters and David Seymour; got played like a fiddle. In one crazy political power play, Luxon had a meeting setup to negotiate with Winston and David, they didn’t bother showing up and made him come to them in another city.

        I could go on but, the politics here is just as complex as anywhere else. Overall we have shifted right, further than we traditionally have but not too much further.

        The current government has made some truly stupid calls, and has scored a lot of own goals. Their popularity is very low this early in a parliamentary term. They have been in for a little more than a year; if things keep going the way they are, they may be the first one term government we have had in a long time. Our term of 3 years, is short, so most governments get more than one term to show what they are made of.

        • wildlyfist@lemmy.world
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          48 minutes ago

          Afaik the shorter version of this is: real estate crooks from the Queenstown area took over politics.

        • Splenetic@lemm.ee
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          3 hours ago

          You make some good points, my comment was originally 3x longer at first but I cut it down in the interest of not rehashing 185 years of history

          • absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz
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            2 hours ago

            I was thinking of going into far more detail…but the comment was already getting long.

        • kiwifoxtrot@lemmy.world
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          2 hours ago

          As a kiwi that left for the US, things are getting a bit strange in New Zealand. So many folks are becoming openly racist vs. what I see in the states. Granted, I don’t live in the south, but still… I was shocked when I went back to visit at the rhetoric being used.

          • absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz
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            2 hours ago

            NZ has always had a racist underbelly, they have become more emboldened since trump 1… with trump 2 I fear it will get worse.

      • Majorllama@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        Well that’s… Good to hear? Certainly sounds better than whatever shit show the US currently has kicking off.

      • Majorllama@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        I’m not gonna pretend I know the exact details of how much of a slide and to what severity each countries election is going. I was nearly saying that it seems global we are in the middle of a shift right is all.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        The world’s billionaires are heading back to NZ

        BusinessDesk talked to real-estate agent Caleb Paterson, who works with a number of offshore agents and high net-worth individuals mainly out of the US and UK markets. He said interest had “definitely perked up” since National said it would repeal its ban on foreign buyers.

        Foreign buyers, with the exception of Singaporean and Australian citizens, have been barred from owning NZ properties since 2018.

        Assuming it makes up the next government, National’s plan would open the door to all foreign buyers to purchase NZ homes valued at more than $2 million, with a 15 per cent foreign buyer stamp surcharge clipped on, from the 2025 fiscal year.

        Enjoy paradise while it lasts.

      • Majorllama@lemmy.world
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        9 hours ago

        Oh absolutely not. It’s a much smaller population and being an island it’s got a figurative and literal buffer to the rest of the world.

        I have always loved New Zealand. It’s like the cooler uncle of Australia minus all the spiders the size of my head.

        And it’s just a beautiful place. Makes me wanna go frolicking in the mountains with an elf, dwarf and old white guy lol

        • in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          3 hours ago

          Just because an island has a smaller population doesn’t make it any more or less predisposed to egalitarianism, nor do large populations have to be predisposed to authoritarianism.

        • Mr_Blott@feddit.uk
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          8 hours ago

          Please stop assuming that a) politics are the same as your country, and b) you haven’t been fed a load of “see, everywhere is right wing now?” propaganda

          • Majorllama@lemmy.world
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            7 hours ago

            I never said the politics were the same as my country.

            And many countries are currently in the middle of or already have elected right wing leaders. Not really propaganda when it’s verifiably a fact.

    • SmolSteely@lemmynsfw.com
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      8 hours ago

      Conservative parties have always been part of liberal democracies. They could sometimes govern responsibly.

      But the Republican party under Trump is something completely different. Trump, Musk and friends are there for state capture. You cannot compare them to New Zealand’s conservatives

      • neidu3@sh.itjust.works
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        6 hours ago

        I think so, but you have to earn them by proving that you can properly remove the beak and the legs as part of peeling a kiwi fruit.